Around 33 students, four of them girls, from across Kashmir had joined BE course in Bangalore’s Bangalore Technological Institution (BTI) under Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme (PMSS)—the poorly-implemented scheme exclusively devised by New Delhi for the students of Jammu and Kashmir.

On finding the college ‘underdeveloped’ and suspecting that they may be expelled if the scholarship money was not released, the students went on strike last week. They demanded a written assurance from the authorities that they won’t be thrown out if the scholarship money was not released.

The students told a local daily on Friday that the college authorities did not give them any written assurance, but asked them to trust the system.

“After much dilly-dallying, the chairman of the college B R Reddy held a meeting with us on Thursday. They had also brought the agents from Kashmir who had facilitated our admission in this college. The chairman and others asked us to have faith that scholarship money will be released, and that we will not be thrown out,” one of the nine candidates told wishing anonymity.

The nine students who refused to budge have been asked to leave the college by Sunday, the students said.
“They did not reply when we asked what if the money gets delayed or is not released. Then they started writing down the names of the students who trust them and of those who don’t. We nine students have been asked to leave the college by Sunday,” said another student, adding that they are to deposit Rs 15,000 to get back their documents.

“They have asked us to arrange the money somehow till Sunday to get back our documents.”

The college authorities, however, are avoiding calls. When called by a local daily, the principal of the college H S Nanda dropped the phone saying that he was not the principal. He didn’t reply to subsequent repeated calls.