SRINAGAR: On the morning of December 7, as thousands of candidates made their way into examination centres across Jammu and Kashmir for the Preliminary JKCC Examination, Syed Mudawar Shams was rushing along the highway from Srinagar Airport towards Baramulla. The 30-year-old PhD scholar from Srinagar’s Lalbazar had landed nearly two hours behind schedule after a series of flight disruptions that had derailed his journey from Hyderabad. By the time he reached the centre, he was an hour late. The gates were closed.
This was supposed to be his final attempt.
Mudawar had booked his travel well in advance on November 25, for what he hoped would be a straightforward trip home. After a year of preparation from Hyderabad, where he is pursuing his doctoral research, the direct IndiGo flight scheduled to depart on December 5 at 1:10 pm was meant to bring him home on time. But that flight was cancelled on the day of travel, without what he describes as any meaningful explanation.
He immediately began searching for alternatives. “There were no flights to Srinagar that day, and all connecting flights were arriving only the next morning,” he said. With the exam scheduled for December 7, he secured a second ticket for December 6, again with IndiGo, this time via Delhi.
Even that plan began to unravel. The Hyderabad–Delhi flight, scheduled for 1:45 pm, was delayed by nearly three hours. Worried, Mudawar emailed the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC), informing them of the situation. He says he received no reply. The airline crew reassured him repeatedly that the delay would not jeopardise his onward connection to Srinagar.
But when he reached Delhi, he was denied entry into the terminal. “I was told the flight had already left,” he recalled. At the IndiGo helpdesk, he learnt there were no evening flights to Srinagar. The only option offered was a 6:40 am departure on the morning of the exam.
He accepted it. “I took the chance. I was trying to make every possible effort from my side,” he said.
But even that final leg was delayed. The aircraft left Delhi at 8:50 am, bringing him to Srinagar at 9:50 am. From there, he rushed towards Baramulla, reaching roughly an hour after reporting time. The centre did not allow late entry.
Mudawar had chosen IndiGo initially because it offered an affordable direct flight. “Next-day flights were costing around Rs 60,000. IndiGo was the only option within reach at about Rs 14,000,” he said. Instead, he ended up paying twice, first for the cancelled direct flight, then for the rescheduled route. His refund is still being processed.
He says he received no proper explanation for the cancellations or delays. “The rescheduling was careless. I even had to struggle to find accommodation in Delhi overnight,” he said, adding that his attempts to escalate the issue with airline authorities yielded nothing.
His frustration, however, is reserved equally for the JKPSC. “A democratic institution should respond to emergencies. This flight emergency was a national issue. JKPSC should have behaved proactively,” he said. The exam itself was conducted amid an unresolved controversy over age relaxation, creating uncertainty among aspirants.
The Commission, he believes, should have paused in light of both the nationwide airline disruption and the ongoing dispute. “Institutions need to be responsive to what is happening across the country. Instead, the exam was held despite the chaos,” he said.
Mudawar says he is ready to provide all documentation and evidence of his ordeal. But with the exam over and eligibility exhausted, the loss is irreversible. “I won’t be eligible for the next attempt,” he said quietly.
His message to fellow aspirants is one of focus and scrutiny. “This was an emergency. The institutions failed to acknowledge and act. There must be accountability from the government, the Lieutenant Governor, and the JKPSC,” he said.
IndiGo’s CEO, Pieter Elbers, issued a public apology on December 5, acknowledging “severe operational disruptions” across the network, promising stabilisation between 10 and 15 December and full recovery by February 2026.
Message from Pieter Elbers, CEO, IndiGo. pic.twitter.com/bXFdqoB0Q2
— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) December 5, 2025
The airline waived cancellation and rescheduling fees for bookings between December 5 and 15, offered automatic refunds, and provided accommodation and refreshments for stranded passengers.
None of it, however, could change what happened on the morning of December 7, when the JKAS exam went ahead as scheduled with 35 vacancies for the Junior Scale. For Mudawar, the journey ended not in an examination hall, but on a cold roadside outside Baramulla, an hour too late.
