SRINAGAR: Several Kashmiri BSc Nursing students were detained by police at Mewar University in Chittorgarh on Monday after they staged a protest at the university gates, with authorities responding in force following reports that one student had attempted suicide.
The students, enrolled in a BSc Nursing programme that lacks recognition from both the Rajasthan Nursing Council (RNC) and the Indian Nursing Council (INC), had gathered at the entrance demanding their certificates. A large contingent of police arrived on campus and rounded up the demonstrators, all of whom were Kashmiri. The university administration confirmed it is also exploring transferring the final semester students to a recognised institution to avoid further academic disruption.
The arrests mark a sharp escalation in a dispute that has been simmering for nearly a month. On February 12, 33 Kashmiri students were suspended after three days of protests over the university’s failure to obtain the statutory approvals required for the nursing course to be valid. The suspensions were later revoked following intervention by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s office.
More than 45 Kashmiri students across two batches are affected, the first batch being significantly larger, with the second comprising only five students. Without INC and RNC recognition, their degrees, professional registration, and employment prospects remain in serious doubt.
Despite a written assurance from the university Registrar two months ago that a resolution would be reached within seven days, no approvals have materialised.
JK Higher Education Minister Sakina Itoo said she had been receiving distress calls from students alleging threats of rustication, and confirmed she had raised the matter with Chief Minister Abdullah, who in turn agreed to take it up with Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.
The university has maintained that the protests are unjustified and that progress is being made. Registrar Dr Chandikaditya Kumawat said a nine-member inspection committee had submitted its report to the Health Minister and that a No Objection Certificate (NOC) was in progress, with delays attributed to the ongoing parliamentary session.
The university has also filed a contempt petition against the RNC for failing to issue the NOC and add Mewar University to its approved list of institutions. That court case remains ongoing.
Students, however, say they will not stand down until they see the NOC in writing.
