Dissent from general category students against increasing reserved seats in education and employment in Jammu and Kashmir escalated with a demonstration outside the Chief Minister’s residence on Gupkar Road on Monday.
The The student demonstration was led by National Conference Srinagar MP Agha Ruhullah Mehdi.who marched with them. Pulwama MLA Wahid ur Rehman Para and Peoples Democratic Party leader Iltija Mufti, Legate MLA Sheikh Khurshid and former Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattu also joined the students outside the Chief Minister’s residence.
The students are trying to reduce the reserved seats from around 60 percent to 25 percent. They are also seeking to overturn the government order allowing reserved category students to opt for general category seats on merit.
On his behalf, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah met the student representatives. The Chief Minister is currently in Srinagar to take stock of electricity and water management in the region due to severe cold conditions.
“Today I met representatives of the Open Merit Student Union,” he posted on X after Monday’s meeting. The beauty of democracy is the right to listen and communicate in a spirit of mutual cooperation. I have made some requests to them and have given them many assurances. This channel of communication will remain open without any intermediaries or hangers-on. “
A group of students who met the Chief Minister at his residence said that the Chief Minister had asked for six months to resolve the problem.
“We cited some data on our concerns regarding reservation. He said he would not accept that as an excuse while the matter was in the High Court. He assured us that he would consult us through a sub-committee,” said Mir Mujeeb, one of the students, after meeting Omar.
Addressing the students, NC’s Srinagar MP Agha Ruhullah Mehdi described the move to increase reservation as “unfair”.
“We are not against reservation to any community. If they have faced challenges for decades, they deserve to hold hands… Open merit students also deserve justice,” he said.
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