Though the existence of demand for a separate Sikh state can be traced back to the period before Indian Independence, the violence associated with the demand had its origins only in the late 1970s, that surged through 1980s and early 1990s.
50 year old Masarat Alam Bhat is a leader of the Muslim League and has been in Tihar Jail in Delhi since June 2019 in a terror funding case being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
In essence, The Wire, in its article, has toed the separatists and terrorists' line in blaming the university for "enforcing" nationalism on students by simply asking them to comply with the university protocols, which include standing up for the national anthem, among other activities.