On the occasion of the visit of the Indian President to the Kashmir Valley, Kashmir University students were asked to vacate the hotels without any prior notice on the pretext of the President’s security in the campus, where she was coming to inaugurate the Institute of Kashmir Studies.

The students were not only asked to vacate the hostels, they were also threatened by the University administration when they protested against these moves under the leadership of the newly formed Kashmir University Students’ Union (KUSU). Facing stiff resistance from the students led from the front by KUSU, the administration had to shamelessly adopt the most draconian and uncivilised means for destabilising the resistance, ranging from cutting off the water and electricity supplies in the hostels, to physically assaulting and threatening the students that they would be framed as terrorists.

It is in this context that the KUSU sought support from the Jawaharlal Nehru Students’ Union (JNUSU) in their struggles. A team led by the JNUSU President Sandeep Singh along with AISA activists Javed Wani and Saptarshi visited KU, and took part in several protests and meetings organised by KUSU.

The JNUSU delegation also met with the mother of Rafiq, a student of KU, who was framed for involvement in the Sarojini Market blasts, and in spite of evidence of his innocence, is still being detained and tortured in Tihar Jail for the past three years.

The irony was that the President’s visit was being touted as the Indian state’s attempt to involve the people of Kashmir to convince them that the Indian state was indeed interested democracy and development of Kashmir. The visit was also meant to project the image that the people of Kashmir were largely supportive of India’s role in Kashmir. However, the true picture was revealed in the fact that the students and researchers of a University were not involved, and were in fact kept away, when a new centre was being inaugurated, supposedly for their benefit. It is no wonder that the students rejected this false propaganda and rose in protest 