AnantnagAgitating students at the Boys Degree College here went on a rampage, setting afire the stage set by police for a sports festival to protest against hoisting of Indian national flag in the college premises.
The inaugural match of T20 cricket tourney, sponsored by the J&K Police, began in the morning without any hassle, eyewitnesses said.
While the match was in progress some policemen hoisted Indian tricolor on the stage meant for dignitaries. This enraged the students present who resented the move by shouting pro-Azadi slogans. Soon other students joined in and all hell broke loose.
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Agitating students resorted to heavy stone-pelting forcing cops to take down the tricolor. This did not pacify the protesting students who continuously raised Azadi slogans prompting police to lob tear smoke shells transforming the cricket field into a battle ground .
College sources said that the match was abandoned after the clashes.
As cops left the premises, protesting students set the stage on fire and ransacked the chairs and other items.
Reports said that students also attacked the fire services vehicles with stones. Police again rushed to spot and charged the students with canes.
Videos of the incident, which had students setting hoardings and banners ablaze, went viral on the social media.
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The institute authorities had reportedly asked the police to refrain from holding the event during college hours because it could lead to a law-and-order problem. But the police did not pay any heed to our suggestion that the programme be held after 4 pm, according to a media report.
Reports said that the police later conducted the match in the evening and the first match was played without any disturbance.
The Government Degree College at Anantnag, established in 1950, is affiliated to Kashmir University. As many as 5,000 students are enrolled there.
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