J&K Reservation Issue: RTI reveals no official record of J&K CM’s meeting with students

By: Sana Ashraf – Ziraat Times 

Srinagar: A Right to Information (RTI) request has revealed that no official records were maintained for a recent meeting between Jammu & Kashmir’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Open Merit/Unreserved Category students who had organised a protest Dharna outside the CM’s House in Srinagar on December 23, 2024. The response, issued by the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, has been highlighted by a student activist Nasir Khuehami, who, along with other students, has raised concerns over the engagement, especially regarding assurances reportedly given to students about putting a hold on government recruitment until the reservation policy is revised.

Nasir Khuehami, who filed the RTI seeking details of the December 23 meeting, took to social media platform X to express his disappointment. “The response I got was shocking but not unexpected,” he wrote.

Key RTI findings

The RTI response clarified that the meeting was not a scheduled or official engagement. Instead, it was described as an informal interaction, with no minutes, agenda, decisions, or follow-up actions recorded. The RTI response suggests that the meeting was not officially documented, and no government officials were present. No records, emails, circulars, or communications exist regarding the meeting.

It also suggests that the Chief Minister did not provide any assurance that the recruitment process in Jammu & Kashmir would be halted until the subcommittee on the reservation policy submitted its final report.

The revelation has sparked criticism from student bodies and civil society members, who argue that such a crucial issue—impacting the future of students under the Open Merit/Unreserved Category—should have been handled with more transparency and seriousness.

Concerns Over Transparency and Accountability

Many students and activists had anticipated that the meeting would result in concrete assurances regarding job recruitment and reservation policies. However, the RTI response suggests that no formal commitments were made.

“This response only confirms our worst fears—that the concerns of unreserved category students are being brushed aside without serious consideration,” Khuehami said. “If such an important discussion had no official standing, then what was the purpose of holding it?”

Student groups have now called for a more structured and transparent dialogue with the government to ensure that their grievances are formally acknowledged and addressed.

“This is not just a procedural lapse but a deliberate attempt to avoid accountability,” said Imtiyaz Bashir from Srinagar, representative from a student association. “The government must come forward with clear answers”, said Nitin Kotwal.

The issue of reservation policies in Jammu & Kashmir remains highly contentious, with students from the Open Merit/Unreserved Category – who form a vast majority of the population – seeking reassurances that their career prospects will not be adversely affected by new policy changes.