Paramilitary forces were stationed at NIT Srinagar after students clashed with police. (PTI Photo)
Opposition National Conference (NC) on Wednesday expressed grave concern over "deteriorating situation" at National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar and said the state government is duty-bound to instill a sense of security and confidence among students and restore normalcy in the institution at the earliest.
It suggested closure of the institute for a few days "so that cooler heads can prevail and the students can get back to their studies in an atmosphere of peace and amity."
The opposition party said rushing in people from the Education Ministry and deploying Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) teams on the NIT campus speaks volumes about New Delhi's confidence in Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.
"NC is concerned over the situation at NIT and hoped peace on the campus is restored at the earliest possible instance," the party said in a statement.
"We believe the state government should handle the situation independently without lateral interventions by those who appear to be in the driver's seat," it added.
The National Conference urged the political parties, whether in government or in the opposition, to rise above their "myopic political expediencies" and help in restoring order in the institution which is growing as an enviable educational hub in the Valley.
"Any attempt to turn the NIT Srinagar into a political battlefield will have serious ramifications, not only on the overall growth of the institution but also overall situation in the State.
"NIT Srinagar has to flourish in consonance with the traditional hospitality of Kashmir and become a model of tolerance and camaraderie, especially at a time when similarly placed institutions and universities across the country are becoming battleground of ideologies," the National Conference said highlighting the crucial role of the local student community in this regard.
It said Kashmir has a proud legacy of being a seat of learning from times immemorial and this spirit has to be promoted by making this national level institution an inspiring destination for students from various parts of the country and even abroad.
"This can become possible only when the spirit of Kashmir is invoked and nurtured," the party added.
Referring to unfortunate incidents, the National Conference said the autonomous management of the institute should be given adequate space to tackle all these issues through the established inbuilt mechanism.
"Any outside intervention will jeopardize peace and harmony, which is detrimental for the academic atmosphere of the NIT," it said.
National Conference also cautioned elements inimical to peace to keep off the NIT and not try to paint a "dark picture" of the Valley as the students, both local and outside, have been known to live in harmony.
"Skirmishes do happen in educational institutions between young people and the internal administrative mechanism should take care of all these issues amicably," the statement said.