Protest in Srinagar Over Reservation Policy

by The_unmuteenglish

Srinagar, Dec 23: National Conference leader and Member of Parliament Aga Ruhullah led a protest outside Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s residence today, urging a revision of the reservation policy in Jammu and Kashmir, which is criticized for disadvantaging open merit students.

PDP leaders, including Waheed ur Rehman Parra and Iltija Mufti, joined the demonstration in solidarity. Ruhullah began the march from Burn Hall School and made his way to the CM’s official residence to demand a fair and balanced reservation system.

Earlier, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq expressed his intention to participate if granted permission by authorities. Growing opposition to the policy has been voiced by students’ groups, political leaders, and parties, all calling for its revocation.

The policy, implemented by the lieutenant governor-led administration before the early assembly elections, cut the general category’s share to 40% and allocated 60% to reserved categories. This has sparked a wave of protests, with claims that the move undermines the interests of the general population.

In response to the protests, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah canceled his Jammu schedule due to the severe cold wave affecting the region. He assured students that he would review the reservation policy.

The Centre’s recent decision to add communities to the OBC category and include the Pahari community in the Scheduled Tribe list has reduced the open merit category to around 40%. Open merit students argue that the Supreme Court’s 1992 ruling limits reservations to 50%, and increasing it beyond that is unconstitutional, infringing on equal access rights.

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