In yet another assault on Kashmiri students post the Pulwama terror attack, four students from the Valley were manhandled and threatened by members of Yuva Sena, the student's wing of Shiv Sena, in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra.
The Yuva Sena is led by Aditya Thackeray, son of Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray.
"What has happened is highly condemnable. If they are our members we will take action against them," Yuva Sena secretary Varun Sardesai said.
A smartphone footage of the incident has gone viral on social media.
The students are from Patel College of Physical Education in Yavatmal and have been studying here for the last three to four years.
In the video, the Kashmiri students were seen being slapped and told that their relatives are terrorists and killing Indian jawans. They were also forced to say 'Vande Mataram', 'Bharat mata ki jai' and 'Hindustan Zindabad'.
The Lohara police station has registered a case. "Statements of the victims are being recorded and we will identify the accused," Yavatmal district superintendent of police M Rajkumar said.
Two of the nearly 40 CRPF jawans killed in Pulwama were from Buldhana district of Maharashtra.
"The college is with the students," principal Sandeep Chawak said.
Who is the enemy?
Condemning the incident, Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan demanded that the accused must be brought to book immediately. "Yuva Sena activists are indulging in goondagiri against Kashmiri students," the former chief minister stated.
NCP chief spokesman Nawab Malik said that it was wrong to target Kashmiri students. "Is our fight against terrorists or Kashmiris?" he sought to know.