Jaipur, Mar 11: The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Wednesday reached out to Union home minister Amit Shah, seeking the revocation of FIRs and suspension orders against Kashmiri students at Mewar University in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan.
The association cited “academic uncertainty and harassment” following a dispute over the legitimacy of their nursing degrees.
The controversy centres on over 50 Kashmiri students currently in the fifth semester of the BSc Nursing programme. These students, who were admitted under a Jammu and Kashmir scholarship scheme funded by the Indian Army, recently discovered that their course allegedly lacks mandatory statutory approvals from the Indian Nursing Council (INC) and the Rajasthan Nursing Council (RNC).
With only four months remaining until graduation, the students are in a state of distress. “If the programme lacks these approvals, their degrees will not be recognised for professional practice, rendering years of academic effort and financial investment void,” said Nasir Khuehami, the national convener of the JKSA.
The situation escalated after the university administration reportedly failed to provide documentation proving the course’s recognition. When students staged a peaceful protest on the campus, demanding transparency, the university responded with punitive measures rather than dialogue, the JKSA said.
As many as 17 Kashmiri students were named in an FIR and subsequently detained by the local authorities, while 33 were placed under suspension by the university.
The JKSA labelled these actions as coercive, urging the Union home ministry to ensure the students are not victimised for seeking clarity on their future. The association has proposed two solutions: Either the university secures the necessary approvals immediately or facilitates a transfer for the affected students to a recognised institution to safeguard their careers.—(HT)
