Dehradun police intensify screening of Kashmiri & foreign students after Delhi blast

PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun

Considering the recent car blast near the Red Fort in Delhi, Dehradun police have increased monitoring of Kashmiri students as well as foreign students. The police have started a fresh verification drive to collect updated information on all students from outside the State and from other countries. The police aim to identify any suspicious activity and take action without delay, the Dehradun senior superintendent of police Ajai Singh said. He informed that currently over 900 Kashmiri students study across various institutions in Dehradun. Police already maintain student records but after the Delhi blast case revealed a Kashmir link, all Kashmiri students in the city are undergoing re-verification. The process includes checking addresses, ID proofs and movement details of those staying in hostels, PGs and rented rooms. Singh said that police keep social groups, chat patterns and communication activity of suspected students, if any, under monitoring to track any unusual input. “If we find something unusual or suspicious, we coordinate with the authorities of the hometown of the student within the country or abroad. We check out the background of their close family as well for security purposes. The increased vigilance extends to students from other states and from abroad. Nothing suspicious has been found so far. The objective is to stay alert and ensure that no suspicious network operates in the city,” he added.

The police are monitoring the social media activities and locations of Kashmiri and foreign students. He said that after the Delhi blast, police have tightened its security strategy. Screening of all possible links is underway with increased caution. High-tech monitoring of social media groups, contact history and locations aims to ensure that no anti-national network finds a foothold in the city, he added. He also informed that in the past six months, monitoring teams flagged the activities of 16 Bangladeshi nationals. Nine were deported and action is being taken against the remaining individuals. The SSP stated that any anti-national input triggers immediate action, regardless of the person’s place of origin. Colleges also monitor their students and report suspicious behaviour to both parents and police. Singh stated that the verification drive helps maintain complete data, enabling quick action when required. He said that police stay in touch with all students from outside the State whenever agencies share information.