INDIAN AUTHORITIES PLACE KASHMIRI LEADERS UNDER HOUSE ARREST AHEAD OF STUDENT PROTEST

Mon 29 December 2025:

Police in Indian-occupied Kashmir have placed several opposition leaders under house arrest ahead of a planned student protest over the region’s reservation policy, triggering accusations of a pre-emptive crackdown on peaceful dissent.

The move came as students in occupied Jammu and Kashmir announced a sit-in demanding changes to reservations in education and public employment, which they say unfairly restrict opportunities for open merit candidates.

Those placed under house detention include Aga Ruhullah Mehdi of the National Conference (NC), Waheed Para and Iltija Mufti of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and former Srinagar mayor Junaid Mattu.

According to the leaders, police and paramilitary personnel were deployed outside their homes on Saturday to prevent them from joining a student sit-in scheduled for Sunday at Polo View in central Srinagar.

Mehdi, an NC MP from central Kashmir, said police formally informed him that he had been barred from leaving his residence. In a statement posted on X, his office said students had also been detained and that their families were allegedly intimidated.

“All this is because students are asking for a fair chance at success through a rational reservation policy,” the statement said.

Sharing images of armed police stationed outside his home, Mehdi’s office questioned whether the move was intended to silence a peaceful, student-led protest. “If yes, it exposes a disturbing fear of dissent,” the post added.

Waheed Para, a PDP legislator from Pulwama who has publicly supported the students, was also placed under house arrest. Iltija Mufti said she was similarly confined to her home in Srinagar.

“Like many others, I’ve also been placed under house arrest today,” Mufti wrote on X. She described the move as a reflection of official “insecurity and paranoia”, calling it the reality of “Naya Kashmir”, a phrase used by the Indian government following the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status in 2019.

Junaid Mattu said police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were deployed outside his residence ahead of his planned participation in the protest.

“A policy of apartheid against students can neither attain legitimacy nor permanence by curbing voices seeking justice,” he said.

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Open merit student-led protest

The protest was called by open merit students, who argue that the current reservation framework disproportionately limits access to education and government jobs. Under existing rules, more than 60 percent of seats are reserved for various categories, including residents of “Residents of Backward Areas and Economically Weaker Sections”, leaving less than 40 percent for open merit candidates.

Student groups say the imbalance undermines merit-based opportunities and affects the majority of applicants.

Para has described the issue as an “existential question” for younger generations. Earlier this week, he said that despite protests over the past year, including a sit-in outside the residence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the government had shown “absolutely zero intent” to resolve the matter.

He also demanded the publication of a reservation review report, arguing there was no justification for withholding it even if the final decision rests with the federally appointed Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, who wields significant administrative powers in the region.

Both the NC and the PDP had pledged to rationalise reservations in their election manifestos. Following sustained pressure from students and Mehdi, the NC-led government formed a cabinet sub-committee to examine the issue.

The panel reportedly recommended an equal 50:50 split between open merit and reserved categories, proposing cuts to quotas for “Residents of Backward Areas and Economically Weaker Sections” to increase open merit seats. Omar Abdullah has said the cabinet approved the recommendations and forwarded the file to the Lieutenant Governor for final clearance.

Recalling his participation in earlier protests, Mehdi said he had not abandoned the students or their demands. “I have neither forgotten nor left the students alone,” he said, adding that he would again join protests if the government failed to engage meaningfully.

Police have also detained several youth leaders involved in organising the demonstrations.

Meanwhile, the Open Merit Students Association J&K (OMSA J&K) announced that the proposed sit-in had been cancelled. In a statement posted on X, the group said the decision was taken due to circumstances beyond its control and urged students to remain calm, advising them to return safely to their hostels, libraries or homes.