Prominent Indian American community organisations have urged the Chancellor of the Rutgers University in New Jersey to allow the display the separatist Kashmiri Flag on its campus asserting that it would send a wrong message and signal amidst the current chaos at the leading US educational institutions against Israel’s war in Gaza.
Leading universities all across the United States of America (USA) are witnessing protests against Israeli military action in Gaza. The conflict was triggered by the unprecedented attacks against Israel by Hamas terrorists killing more than 1400 people. Israel has launched a massive counter-offensive against the Islamic militant group that has rules Gaza since 2007.
On May 3, 2024, a group representing protesting students said that eight of its ten demands were met by the Rutgers University administration. Point nine of the demands said “Display of flags of occupied peoples including but limited to Palestine, Kurds and Kashmiris in all areas displaying international flags across the Rutgers University campuses.
However, informed sources said the university has not conceded to the demands of the protesting group. The office of the Chancellor will take stock of flags displayed around th Rutgers University New Brunswick Campus and ensure appropriate representation of students enrolled in academics at the university it said. The group claims infuriated several Indian American groups, which urged the university and advised it against allowing to display of separatist Kashmiri flag on the campus.
Rutgers University “has caved” Suhag Shukla from thr Hindu American Foundation (HAF) said in a post on social media platform X. Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) echoed the HAF sentiments. “Rutgers university caved in to hate and approved the display of the flags that had brought terror to the small surviving indigenous minority in Kashmir, CoHNA said on X.
Under this flag, the Kashmiri Hindus were systematically cleansed out of their homeland Kashmir, a place named after the ancient Vedic sage Rishi Kashyap, it said. One Dharma Viveka wrote that the Rutgers University set a terrible example for all public institutions especially across the US. “Negotiated with anarchist bullies and miserably caved in granting a laundry list of concessions. Betrayed public trust by failing at equitable allocations of resources.
Notably, the university has a large number of Indian students. New Jersey has the largest concentration of Indian Americans in the US. Thomas Abraham, the chairman of the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin wrote a letter to the Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway protesting student demands to display flags of displaced people on its campus.
“We are very surprised to read that you are considering the demand of the protesting students to display the flags of occupied people including not limited to Palestinians, Kashmiris and Kurds in all areas displaying international flags across the Rutgers University Campuses, it said.
“This is a very dangerous territory for the Rutgers to get involved. By even considering this demand, you are questioning the integrity of India. Kashmir is very much part of India. There is no separate flag for Kashmir. Kashmir residents aren’t displaced people Abraham asserted. In fact, the displaced are Hindu minorities who had to leave Kashmir beyond violence against them.
If Rutgers displays a flag of Kashmir, that will be the beginning of the more sit ins by students who are opposed to such flags. As a public educational institution, which belong to everyone Rutgers university has no business to get into the internal conflicts of countries around the world,” the letter read.
