Student politics and unions not banned in Kashmir Valley, RTI reveals

• No official restriction on student union in Kashmir University, just a 15-year-old verbal directive

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government has not officially banned student politics, Associations or unions in the Kashmir region, as revealed by an RTI response. Earlier, in its reply to the same RTI, it also stated that there is no ban on student politics in the Jammu region. Officials from the Higher Education Department confirmed that no communication or official order has been issued by the authorities imposing such a restriction.

The RTI was filed by Nasir Khuehami, National Convenor of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, who sought a photocopy of any official order banning student activism and student associations in universities and educational institutions across Jammu and Kashmir.In response, officials from the Higher Education Department clarified that no circular or directive exists prohibiting student associations or restricting their formation and functioning in the Union Territory.

The government has not imposed any ban on student politics anywhere. The RTI response dispels misconceptions about a potential ban on student activism, affirming that there are no official restrictions on campus politics in J&K.Khuehami said that he filed an RTI to sought information whether any official order prohibits student unions associations in Jammu and Kashmir or campus politics at Kashmir University.

He submitted similar requests to various universities in Kashmir, and the response from Kashmir University was particularly striking. While other universities simply stated that no official ban exists on campus politics, Kashmir University’s reply stood out.Several institutions, including the University of Jammu, Central University of Jammu, Government College for Women Gandhi Nagar Jammu, Central University of Kashmir, Islamic University of Science and Technology, and other educational institutions in Jammu and Kashmir, have confirmed in their respective responses that no official order banning student politics has been issued, either by the universities themselves or by the government.

They further clarified that they have not prohibited the formation of student associations or unions.However, the RTI reply from the University of Kashmir states that there is no need for a student union in the university because a transparent system is already in place. The University of Kashmir specifically said that it has not issued any circular or formal order banning student unions. There is also no official communication from the Government or university restricting the formation of student associations.

However, in its response to the applicant, the university's Proctor mentioned that student unions were verbally banned in 2009 by the then Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Riyaz Punjabi. This decision was not implemented through any written or official order but was conveyed as a verbal directive. The reply goes on to say that the university has a proper grievance mechanism in place.Reacting to this, Khuehami said that the university can gaslight with the "proper grievance cell" reply, but not anyone who is privy to Kashmir University's defunct system—especially a student who is a daily sufferer.

"Which Kashmir University student doesn't know that when a student speaks about university issues, he is summoned by the Chief Proctor the next day? They fear the University Chief Proctor more than the people of North Korea fear Kim Jong Un. Students say he is anything but an academician."He further said that the University of Kashmir justified the absence of student unions and associations by claiming it had a “transparent” grievance redressal system. “But the counter-question is: who accredited the university as ‘transparent’?"

The question is, who gave them the accreditation of being 'transparent'? Isn't this reply laughable to those students who have to endure hardships daily due to the lack of an operational student union? That is the first point. The second is that student unions and associations are part and parcel of a vibrant higher education system. Just because the system is transparent does not rule out the necessity of a student union.Every major institution in India—be it Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Delhi University (DU), or TISS—operates within transparent frameworks while also having active student unions.

Transparency and student representation are not mutually exclusive. If anything, they strengthen each other. Does that mean they will stop having student unions?From what I gather, "law and order" has been a convenient excuse for Kashmir University authorities to avoid accountability. Student unions and associations hold university authorities accountable, and Kashmir University is not ready to be accountable to its own students.

They fear being questioned for their unbridled onslaught on the quality of education at the university.Universities have long functioned as incubators of debate—spaces where ideas can be nurtured and challenged. Only a functional student body can act as a watchdog against the wrongs committed by university authorities. Only it can provide the necessary corrective measures to restore the university’s credibility.

Only it can once again make Kashmir University the highest seat of learning it was meant to be.If the University of Kashmir is serious about upholding democratic values and fostering an environment of free expression, it must immediately revoke its informal, unofficial, and arbitrary stance on student representation. The institution must align itself with the principles of academic freedom and student participation rather than maintaining an outdated, undemocratic, and unaccountable restriction that has no legal or moral standing.