BANGALORE: Despite protests in the Kashmir Valley and a call from People's Democratic Party (PDP) MP Mehbooba Sayeed seeking Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy's intervention, the 22 Kashmiri students arrested by the Ramanagaram police last week will spend two more days in prison. With both the magistrate and public prosecutor unavailable on Saturday, friends and relatives could not file a bail application.

The students' arrest follows a clash between them and another student group from Bihar at the Ghousia College of Engineering in Ramanagaram on Monday. Sources close to the Kashmiri students alleged that the police had selectively targeted only their group.

In Bangalore, Kashmiri students from other colleges withdrew their proposed indefinite hunger strike and peaceful demonstrations.

A Kashmiri research student, Khalid Waseem, told this newspaper that it could vitiate the current situation.

The students' relatives both in Kashmir and Bangalore wanted the college management to create a congenial atmosphere on the campus once the students were out on bail. Mr. Waseem, who claimed 28 were arrested, said 20 were from Ghousia college and the others from other engineering colleges in the city. He had an explanation for the presence of the outsiders: "Most Kashmiri students were from first year engineering and were very scared. So senior students from other engineering colleges accompanied them to talk to the college principal."

Vitiated

Long-time observers of the college told The Hindu that Kashmiris, Biharis, Keralites and the locals had all created their own informal ghettos both on the campus and in the hostel.

Although tension between different groups, particularly Kashmiris and Biharis was apparent, the college management did nothing to counter it, alleged Students Federation of India's Rajashekhara Murthy.

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