‘Return or drop out?’: Kashmiri students scarred by post-Pahalgam violence stare at uncertain future

Mohammad Aatif Ammad Kanth

GANDERBAL, JAMMU AND KASHMIR: In Ganderbal, Kashmir, Asif Shabir Dar is struggling to secure admission in a local college for a paramedical course in operation theatre technician training. “I’ve been searching for weeks but haven’t found any good private college here that offers this course,” he said. Until recently, Asif was pursuing the same course at St. Soldier’s College in Jalandhar, affiliated to IK Gujral Punjab Technical University.

Things changed drastically after the Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22, 2025. One night, a group of goons stormed the paying guest accommodation where Dar and other Kashmiri students were staying. “They knew exactly which rooms the Kashmiris were in,” Dar recalled. Without saying a word, the men began hurling abuses and even manhandled some of the students. Terrified, all Kashmiri students locked themselves in a room, surviving only on water for three days. “We were too scared to step out,” he said.

During this time, they tried to reach university administration and desperately waited for a response but “only silence”, said Dar.

With no assurance of safety, they finally fled the city at night, hiding in a truck to avoid attention, as a local cab driver demanded ₹17,000 for just two people. The experience has left Dar deeply shaken. Now back in Kashmir, he is unsure whether to return or drop out. “I feel abandoned and unsafe,” he said.

After the Pahalgam terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 26 tourists and a local guide, Kashmiri students and vendors were left to face the public wrath, across states but especially those in the north. In states like Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh, many Kashmiri students were attacked, beaten and forced to flee their rented homes. In Dehradun, students reported being heckled, intimidated, and physically assaulted, leading to a mass exodus from college campuses. Hundreds have returned to Kashmir and are missing semester exams and mid-sessionals.

What’s rattled them most is the lack of support, either from local authorities or university administrations. Instead of steps to protect the students, the most common intervention was to pack them off home. Now many are wondering if they should return to the campuses.

Targeting of Kashmiri students a pattern

Arif Masood (name changed), a Class 12 student from Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir, was visiting his brother Junaid Rafiq, a BCA student at Chandigarh University, when the Pahalgam attack took place. Soon after, Arif was brutally assaulted by unidentified men right outside the rented apartment his brother shared with his friend. The video of his injuries was later viral on social media.

When they approached the city police station, Kharar, to file an FIR, the police initially refused. “They asked us to produce proof of the assault and even discouraged us from filing a complaint,” Arif recalled. He said the police only registered the FIR after public outrage over the viral video. “The police never supported us,” he said.

Following the attack, nearly all Kashmiri students returned home out of fear. The brutalising of his brother left Rafiq shaken. “We were terrified of what might happen next, so we made the decision to leave,” he said. Now, he’s not sure if it’s safe enough for him to return.

Kashmiri students are extraordinarily vulnerable outside the state. This pattern of violence and forced evictions repeats every time tensions rise. Even during peacetime, WhatsApp messages and social media posts can lead to harassment, even punitive action. Even after the Pulwama attack six years ago, students were similarly harassed and forced out. So familiar is this pattern that the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA), anticipating a surge in harassment and violence against students, set up 10 helpline numbers immediately after the attack.

“We were receiving nearly 200 calls daily from students reporting verbal abuse or physical assaults from different parts of northern India,” said Umer Jamal, JKSA’s national president. According to him, the scale of these incidents surpassed even what was witnessed after the 2019 Pulwama attack.

“Thousands of students have returned to Kashmir out of fear. Many missed important exams, including semester tests,” he added.

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Education plans stalled, shelved

Gazi Salahuddin, a sixth-semester Urdu literature student from Kulgam, had long dreamt of pursuing a master’s degree at Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi. He had never stepped outside Kashmir before but over the past two years, had been preparing for the entrance exam, confident in his chances of securing a place.

The exam was scheduled for May 3. Salahuddin had planned to leave on April 30 by road, as flying was too expensive. "A one-way air ticket was around ₹6,000," he recalled. His centre was at the Jamia campus itself, and all plans were in place — until the Pahalgam attack.

As reports of violence against Kashmiris started circulating online and students started returning, a wave of fear swept through the Valley.

When Salahuddin’s parents learned about the attacks, they refused to let him go to Delhi. That journey now seemed fraught with peril. “My father told me education can be pursued next year too, but life won’t come back,” he said.

Salahuddin briefly considered a flight, but the cost and lack of accommodation in Delhi deterred him. “Staying in a hotel felt too risky,” he said, voice thick with emotion. “Jamia was my dream. I think it will only remain one now. After seeing the paper, I swear I could’ve made the top ten.”

J-K airfares skyrocket

Over the years, flight fares to and from Srinagar have remained consistently high, often crossing Rs 10,000. This persistent overpricing has disproportionately affected students with limited travel budgets. Given that NH-44, the only highway connecting Kashmir to the rest of India, is frequently blocked by landslides and remains unreliable for long stretches, air travel is the only viable option for many, especially students needing to travel for exams or admissions.

Tahir Ahmed, a Srinagar-based travel agent who handles flight bookings, said that several students approached him for tickets following the Pahalgam attack. However, he noted that round-trip fares had surged to nearly Rs 12,000. “Many students dropped their travel plans the moment they heard the ticket prices,” he said.

Syed Faheem, an LLB student at Jamia Millia Islamia, shared that soaring airfares often force students like him to travel by road. "Sometimes, [cost of] a one-way ticket crosses Rs 10,000, which is just unaffordable for us," he said. In February, Faheem had explored flight costs and found the airfare was Rs 8,000. He opted for road travel instead but got stuck due to landslides and spent two days stranded in public transport. He urged the government to regulate such steep fare hikes, saying, "It’s students who suffer the most from these price surges."

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‘Return or drop out?’

With crucial semester exams approaching, many Kashmiri students are reluctant to return to their campuses, especially if they’re in the northern states. Several have already missed sessional exams and regular classes due to the hostile environment they say persists after the Pahalgam attack.

Jamal said that despite repeatedly reaching out to authorities and educational institutions, fear continues to grip Kashmiri students. “Many freshers, especially those in their first year, are now contemplating whether to return or drop out altogether,” he said.

According to him, even those who do decide to go back will likely be under immense stress due to the incidents that followed the Pahalgam attack. He added, “It’s deeply unfortunate that students, who are always among the first to condemn such attacks, end up being the primary targets [of retaliatory violence]. It’s a shame.”

Peer Ahtesham, a first-year pharmacy student at the Himalayan Institute of Pharmacy in Dehradun, fled to Kashmir along with his friends after a threatening video by Hindu Raksha Dal leader, Lalit Sharma, went viral. The video caused panic among Kashmiri students in Uttarakhand, as Sharma had issued an ultimatum, telling Kashmiri Muslims to leave the state by 10 am, warning of “action you can’t imagine”.

“It’s very scary there, and we feel afraid going back,” said Ahtesham, adding that even as some friends plan to return, fear remains high.

(Mohammad Aatif Ammad Kanth is a Srinagar-based freelance journalist who writes on financial, economic and social issues.)