Agra college suspends 3 students for WhatsApp posts on Pak victory

An engineering college in Agra has suspended three Kashmiri students for an alleged WhatsApp status praising Pakistani players after their victory over India in a T20 World Cup match.

Arsheed Yousef, Inayat Altaf Sheikh and Showkat Ahmed Ganai are from Raja Balwant Singh Engineering Technical Campus in Bichpuri.

The college hostel termed the students’ action as an “indiscipline act”.

“Therefore the hostel discipline committee has decided to suspend all three of them with immediate effect,” read the suspension notice from Dr Dushyant Singh, dean of hostels.

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Local leaders of the BJP youth wing have also lodged a complaint against the students at the Jagdishpura police station.

SP (City) Agra Vikas Kumar said police had received a complaint and would take action on the basis of it.

Subsequently, the college administration suspended the students on Monday.

“The students were studying under the Prime Minister Super Special Scheme. We have also apprised the PM office and AICTE of the students’ act. However, the students have apologised,” said Dr Pankaj Gupta, director of administration and finance at the institute.

On Sunday, India lost its opening T20 World Cup match against Pakistan by 10 wickets. It was the first time that India had lost to Pakistan in a World Cup.

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In another development, two cases under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) were filed against medical students in Srinagar who celebrated Pakistan’s win.

Videos allegedly show female students rejoicing and shouting pro-Pakistan slogans at hostels of Medical College Srinagar and Shere Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences.

The win also triggered allegations of violence at an engineering college in Punjab’s Sangrur, where a group of Kashmiri students claimed they were assaulted by people from Uttar Pradesh. The alleged attackers claimed the Kashmiris were supporting the Pakistan team.

In Udaipur, Rajasthan, a private schoolteacher was sacked and a case registered against her for her WhatsApp status.