Mehbooba, Ruhullah, Others Placed Under House Arrest Ahead of Students’ Quota Protest

Srinagar, Dec 28: Authorities on Sunday placed several political leaders, including PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, under house arrest to prevent them from joining a students’ protest against the existing reservation policy in Jammu and Kashmir.

Officials said those confined to their homes include Mehbooba Mufti, her daughter Iltija Mufti, Srinagar MP Ruhullah Mehdi, PDP leader Waheed Para and former Srinagar mayor Junaid Mattoo.

The preventive action followed announcements by these leaders expressing solidarity with students planning a peaceful sit-in at Gupkar Road on Sunday. The protest is aimed at highlighting the delay in rationalising the quota policy, nearly a year after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah constituted a committee to examine the issue.

Reacting to the move, PDP MLA Waheed Para termed it unfortunate that leaders were placed under house arrest merely for supporting a peaceful student agitation.

National Conference MP Ruhullah Mehdi, in a post on X late Saturday night, said armed police personnel had been deployed outside his residence and questioned whether the move amounted to a “pre-emptive crackdown” to silence a pro-student protest.

Para, meanwhile, reiterated his criticism of the Omar Abdullah-led government, accusing it of showing “zero intent” to resolve the reservation issue. In another post on X, he said the quota policy has become an existential issue impacting the future of younger generations and lamented the lack of progress despite protests held over the past year.

He demanded that the report of the Cabinet sub-committee constituted to examine the issue be made public, asserting there was no justification for withholding it even if the recommendations were awaiting approval from the Lieutenant Governor. (Agencies)