Law college removes principal for ideological stand on Kashmir

A statement attributed to college terms Showkat a hard-liner ideologue of Pakistan-backed separatist organisations

The Valley’s well-known legal expert and columnist Sheikh Showkat was removed from the post of the principal of the Kashmir Law College, Srinagar, on Monday apparently for his ideological position on the Kashmir issue.

 Meanwhile, days after his bail, Kashmiri journalist Asif Sultan, who was arrested for four years, has been booked under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) and re-arrested in Srinagar.

The management of the Kashmir Law College, Srinagar, has started a fresh process to appoint a new principal, officials said. The college management, however, is silent on the sudden decision.

Sources close to Dr. Showkat confirmed that he was asked to discontinue as the law college’s principal. However, they said the college management cited age-related ineligibility as the reason behind the decision and not his ideological position. 

A statement being attributed to the college management described Dr. Showkat as “a hard-liner ideologue of Pakistan-backed separatist organisations”. Despite repeated attempts,  The Hindu could not get a response from the college.

The participation of Dr. Showkat, who remains a vocal voice on the subject of Kashmir, in a convention titled ‘Azadi - The Only Way’ at the Press Club of India, New Delhi in 2016 is also cited as the reason behind the decision. The convention was also attended by Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, author Arundhati Roy and SAR Geelani.

“He [Dr. Showkat] was one among others who delivered an anti-India speech at the convention and anti-India slogans were also raised [in the audience],” according to the college statement, issued to local wire services in Kashmir.