National Institute of Technology-Srinagar sends 130 Telugu students home

Hyderabad: Around 130 students from Telangana state and Andhra Pradesh left the National Institute of Technology-Srinagar campus and headed for home after the registrar announced suspension of class work on Friday night.

Even as the students reached Jammu in buses arranged by the NIT, Srinagar district magistrate Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said no instructions had been given to shut the institute.

Around 130 students from Telangana state and Andhra Pradesh left the National Institute of Technology-Srinagar campus and headed for home after the registrar announced suspension of class work on Friday night.

Even as the students reached Jammu in buses arranged by the NIT, Srinagar district magistrate Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said no instructions had been given to shut the institute. The students will be taking a special train arranged by the Telugu states officials to bring the students back from Jammu to Hyderabad.

In a notice issued on Friday night, the NIT registrar said, “This is for the information of all the students of the institute that the class work for all courses stands suspended till further orders.” It said the notice “stands issued in accordance with the instructions received from the district administration, Srinagar.”

The decision was apparently taken in view of Intelligence inputs of possible terror threats and the Army.

The 130 Telugu-speaking students are among the 3,000 others, including Kashmiris, who were told to leave for home. The students were asked to be ready to return after August 15.

NIT-Srinagar student  Jayanth from Warangal  told Deccan Chronicle, “The notice reached us at 11.30 pm on Friday, asking us to leave the campus early the next day. In no time we packed our luggage. The University arranged buses for us.” He said Kashmiri students also left for their homes. “Our deans advised that it would be safe to leave now and to return after August 15,” he said.

Asked if they faced any threat, Jayanth said their journey from Srinagar to Jammu was uneventful. “I wish to convey to the parents of all students that we are safe,” he said. They will take special trains to Hyderabad late on Saturday. Students said the situation was normal on  campus and outside. However our deans asked us to leave.”  He said most of the Telugu-speaking students were from Hyderabad, Warangal, Guntur and Vishakapatnam.