J&K Students Caught in Political Crossfire |
The reservation issue in Jammu and Kashmir has moved beyond quotas and categories. It now reflects the growing powerlessness of the political system.
Over the past year and a half, what started as a policy decision has turned into a long and draining public episode.
Students have been pushed through a loop of raised expectations, delays, long silences, and public posturing, with no clear end in sight.
Instead of a careful, data-based debate on social justice and representation, the issue has turned into a lesson in how governance functions in J&K, with power spread thin, responsibility unclear, and transparency missing.
All this began in March 2024, when the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Rules, 2005 were amended. Through a series of notifications, the Lieutenant Governor’s administration increased reservation for Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
This pushed total reservation in jobs and educational institutions to about 70 percent, leaving barely 30 percent seats under open merit.
The change came as a shock in a region where competitive exams are often the only path to upward mobility.
The concern for many general category students was not reservation, but the way it was expanded. Issues of proportionality and fairness were left unanswered, while opportunities shrank almost overnight.
All this happened with little public consultation or transparency.
As dissatisfaction grew,........