‘Constitute Probe’ Into Kashmir’s Students Death

The death of Mudasir Kamran, a research scholar at the English and Foreign Languages University, has raised a lot of suspicion in Kashmir valley, Delhi University Professor S.A.R. Geelani said.

He also demanded that EFLU constitute an enquiry commission to clear the issues.
Speaking to students at a function organised at EFLU to pay tribute to Mudasir, Prof. Geelani said the incident occurred after the execution of Afzal Guru and this had fuelled the rage in the Valley.

“The EFLU Vice-Chancellor claims that your agitation is causing unrest in the Kashmir Valley, but Kashmiris are consoled by the fact that there are people who are standing up to demand justice. It is the University authorities who are fuelling the unrest because of their shoddy treatment of the issue and their refusal to constitute an enquiry committee,” Geelani was quoted by The Hindu newspaper as saying
The Proctor, who allegedly mishandled the issue, should be immediately suspended to restore the confidence, he demanded.

“This issue was not complicated and could have been managed by the university deftly. Instead they chose to involve the police and this complicated the situation,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Professor Haragopal from the Centre for Human Rights, University of Hyderabad, said the death of Mudasir indicates the death of an institution. Universities are self-governing bodies, and by involving the police this autonomy is being surrendered, he said.

Police cannot enter the university premises without explicit permission of the VC. It is sad that the student was taken to the police by a teacher who could have resolved it amicably, he observed.

“Teachers interact with students everyday and they should be able to influence and resolve all problems. By approaching the police the Proctor has sent a message that universities are unable to handle their own affairs and they need outside force to settle their disputes. This sets a bad precedent,” he maintained.

The issue was not complicated and could have been managed by the university deftly. Instead they chose to involve the police and this complicated the situation.


(Free Press Kashmir)