In a strongly-worded letter sent today, May 6, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) has urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene and ensure the immediate withdrawal of a circular issued by Delhi University (DU) seeking personal details exclusively from students belonging to Jammu and Kashmir.
The data sought reportedly includes residential addresses, contact details, and course information. JKSA alleges that this singling out of one region amounts to community profiling and a violation of the students’ rights to equality, non-discrimination, and privacy.
Describing the move as unconstitutional, the student body argued that no similar directive had been issued for students from other Indian states or Union Territories.
“The directive… undermines the constitutional rights and dignity of an entire group of students,” the letter states, accusing DU of fostering “selective surveillance” rather than inclusion. The association further pointed out that such data is already collected during admission and questioned the need for a separate directive.
The letter also referenced the rising instances of harassment faced by Kashmiri students across India in recent weeks, saying the circular only adds to their fear and sense of alienation.
“Are these actions intended to suggest that students from Jammu and Kashmir are lesser citizens?” it asked, adding that universities must remain “bastions of freedom, thought, and dignity.”
JKSA’s demands include the revocation of the circular, a public statement from DU disavowing such actions, and the creation of official guidelines to prevent profiling based on region, ethnicity, or religion.
Calling the directive a betrayal of India’s democratic values and commitment to unity in diversity, the letter concluded with a plea for empathy and equal treatment. “True national unity,” it said, “will come through inclusion… not surveillance.”
