Frustrated by the lack of a satisfactory response from the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) administration, students and job seekers from the region are taking their fight for a fair reservation policy to the National Capital. On Saturday, December 14, the Jammu & Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) will stage a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, calling for a comprehensive review and revision of the region’s reservation rules.
Through the protest, the association aims to create a “national discourse” regarding their concerns.
Nasir Khuehami, National Convenor, JKSA, told EdexLive, “It has been almost two months since the new J&K government was formed. However, despite having sent multiple letters to the Chief Minister’s Office, there has been no response to our concerns. Given the lack of response from the J&K government, we have been compelled to seek support from MPs outside the region.”
The protest will take place at 10 am on Saturday, December 14, at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. In a bid to gain wider support, students have invited several prominent politicians and opposition leaders, including Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra, and Jammu and Kashmir MLA Sunil Kumar Sharma, to join them in their call for a fair reservation policy.
The students also met with MP Sharad Pawar and Sanjay Raut urging them to raise their demands in the parliament.
“Given the lack of response from the J&K administration, we are forced to reach out to MPs from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Our elected representatives from J&K are yet to address the students' demands, and the administration has shown neither the willingness nor the proactive approach needed to address our concerns,” added Khuehami.
The youth in J&K have been raising concerns about the newly amended reservation policy for several months. On March 15, 2024, the Lieutenant Governor-led administration amended the Jammu & Kashmir Reservation Rules, 2005. The revised policy significantly reduced the number of open merit seats in both education and government jobs, triggering an uproar among students.
The students have highlighted that the new policy allocates only about 30 per cent of seats for students from the open-merit category, despite them comprising more than 70 per cent of the population.
The students have demanded a revision of the reservation policy in proportion to the state’s population demographic and socio-economic realities.
On November 22, the J&K administration announced that it has created a three-member sub-committee of ministers to take a holistic view of the reservation issue, students remain dissatisfied with the lack of progress.
Mir Zubair Nabi, a graduate of Jamia Milia Islamia (JMI) and a Civil Services aspirant from J&K, said, “We do not see any progress from the committee, nor have we received any solutions from the administration except verbal assurances. Right now, all the eyes are on the December 14 protest. We want to create a national discourse through the protest and gain support for our concerns.”
