Students' quota protest in J&K: Mehbooba, Ruhullah among leaders under house arrest

Srinagar: Authorities on Sunday placed several leaders, including PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, under house arrest to prevent them from joining the students' protest against the existing reservation policy in Jammu and Kashmir.

Officials said Mehbooba Mufti, her daughter Iltija Mufti, Srinagar MP Ruhullah Mehdi, PDP leader Waheed Para, and former Srinagar mayor Junaid Mattoo have been placed under house arrest.

The move came after these leaders expressed solidarity with students who planned to sit on a peaceful protest at Gupkar Road on Sunday and had announced their intention to join the agitation against the delay in rationalising the quota policy, a year after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah formed a committee to address the issue.

Reacting to the development, Para said it was unfortunate that the leaders had been placed under house arrest to prevent them from showing solidarity with the protesting students.

In a post on X, National Conference MP Ruhullah Mehdi posted on X on Saturday night that armed police have been deployed outside his residence. "Is this a pre-emptive crackdown to silence a peaceful, pro-student demonstration?" he posed.

Para, on the other hand, accused the Omar Abdullah government in Jammu and Kashmir of showing zero intent to resolve the reservation issue, saying the existing quota policy has become an existential matter.

In a post on X on Saturday night, he said the reservation policy has become an existential issue that strikes at the very foundation of the future of our younger generations. It has been over a year since we, along with students, assembled outside the CM OmarAbdullah's residence."

"Unfortunately, during this entire period, there has been absolutely zero intent on the part of the government towards resolving this issue, which has only compounded the uncertainty and anxiety shadowing our youth," Para said in the X post.

At the very least, the reservation report must be placed in the public domain, the Pulwama MLA said. There was no justification to withhold the report of the Cabinet sub-committee formed by Omar Abdullah, even if the recommendations were still pending the lieutenant governor's approval, Para added.