THE central executive committee of the Students’ Federation of India in a statement issued on April 8, has strongly condemned the police lathi-charge on the students of National Institute of Technology (NIT), Srinagar. This is a repeat of what we have seen recently in HCU and JNU - use of police force against student agitations. What is even more disturbing is the manner in which cricket matches are being used to test the patriotism of Kashmiri students across the country. The incidents inside NIT are being used as a pretext to attack the Kashmiri students studying in other parts of the country. Mewar University in Rajasthan suspended 16 students from J&K, over a clash after the T-20 World Cup cricket match. The situation in NIT has repercussions outside as well. There are elements who are working to use the confrontation inside the campus for their own partisan interests. It is the need of the hour that peace inside the campus is restored, said the SFI statement.