State Government To Meet Protesting NIT Srinagar Students Again Today

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government is likely to hold another meeting with protesting students of NIT Srinagar today after an earlier meeting late last night failed to end the protests and bring students back to their classes. The non-local students have been demanding moving the NIT out of Srinagar.

Friday's meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, State Education Minister Naeem Akhtar, a three-member team of the Education Ministry, NIT Srinagar Director Rohit Gupta and senior civil and police officers.

Sources in the state government say Mr Singh told the students their legitimate demands would be met. He also clarified the state government will provide "adequate security on the campus." Sources say during the meeting students asked for better facilities on the campus and postponing exams.

The NIT campus saw clashes between police and non-local students on April 5. The protesting students have said they fear for their safety and demanded that the NIT campus be shifted out of Srinagar. A demand, sources said, has been rejected. 70 per cent of the students on the campus are not locals but intelligence agencies have said they are under no threat, sources added.

"Students were asked to make a list of grievances which will be forwarded by the government to the board of governors of NIT," a highly placed source in the government told NDTV. "Exams will begin on the 11th  of this month as scheduled but all those students who want to go home and not appear in exams, government will facilitate that. Alternate arrangements will be made for them to appear in exams on a later date," he added.