Yuva Sena attacks Kashmiri youths

Nagpur/Mumbai: Four Kashmiri students studying in a college at Yavatmal were attacked and threatened by members of the Yuva Sena members, the youth wing of Shiv Sena.

According to local police, the incident happened on Wednesday night when the students of the Dayabhai Patel physical education college were returning to their rented accommodation in Vaibhav Nagar on Waghapur Road.

A video of the incident went viral on the social media, which shows the Yuva Sena activists questioning the students where they are from.

As the youths said that they come from Kashmir, the Yuva Sena mem-bers slapped, beat the-m up and also thre-atened with them dire consequences.

The attackers forced the students to shout slogans like ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Hindustan Zindabad.’

Yavatmal superintendent of police M. Rajkumar said, “The Kashmiri students were returning home after having dinner outside, when Yuva Sena activists intercepted them and slapped them.

The victims lodged a complaint at Lohara police station on Thur-sday. The Lohara police identified the culprits and have apprehended the main accused in the incident.”

A victim of the attack said, “We were asked to say ‘Vande Mataram’ if we want to live here. The attackers asked us to vacate our rooms and return to Kashmir within four days. We were warned that if we failed to return to Kashmir in this time frame, they will kill us.”

However, Yuva Sena chief Aditya Thackeray shrugged off the responsibility for thrashing of Kashmir students by his organisation members.

Mr Thackeray said that one should understand that people are not troubled while teaching a lesson to Pakistan.

Condemning the attacks, state Congress chief Ashok Chavan said the police should take immediate action against the Yuva Sena activists who committed hooliganism by taking law into hands.

Meanwhile, the Yuva Sena has said if those involved in the act are found to be activists of the organisation, action will be taken against them.

“The patriotic Kashmiri youths are our brothers and Yuva Sena will stand by them,” Varun Sardesai, secretary of the organisation.