SRINAGAR: Delhi University has come under scrutiny for issuing a directive requiring students from Jammu and Kashmir to submit personal details such as home addresses, contact numbers, email IDs, and course information. The university has defended the move, saying it stems from concerns over student safety and was initiated following a request from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which acted on intelligence inputs.
DU officials have said the circular was issued “for the better safety and security of the students from Jammu and Kashmir”, referring to previous instances in which Kashmiri students were subjected to harassment or assault in different parts of the country. She added that the Delhi Police had specifically sought the data and that the university’s action followed MHA’s recommendation.
The circular was issued days after a terror attack in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22 that left 26 people, mostly tourists, dead. Following the attack, several Kashmiri students and professionals living outside Jammu and Kashmir reported incidents of intimidation and physical assaults.
The move, however, has sparked concern among students from the region. In a letter dated May 6, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, calling the directive “discriminatory” and accusing DU of “community profiling”. The group argued that no similar data has been sought from students of other states or Union Territories, and warned that such measures risk creating an atmosphere of fear and exclusion. It urged the Centre to intervene and issue clear guidelines to educational institutions against regional or religious profiling.
