Indian police arrest several Kashmiri nursing students in Rajasthan
Srinagar: Indian police arrested several Kashmiri students in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state of Rajasthan.
According to Kashmir Media Service, several Kashmiri BSc Nursing students were detained by Indian police at Mewar University in Chittorgarh after they staged a protest at the university gates, with authorities responding in force following reports that one student had attempted suicide.
The students, enrolled in a BSc Nursing programme that lacks recognition from both the Rajasthan Nursing Council (RNC) and the Indian Nursing Council (INC), had gathered at the entrance demanding their certificates. A large contingent of police arrived on campus and rounded up the demonstrators, all of whom were Kashmiri.
On February 12, 33 Kashmiri students were suspended by the authorities after three days of protests over the university’s failure to obtain the statutory approvals required for the nursing course to be valid.
More than 45 Kashmiri students across two batches are affected, with the first batch being significantly larger, while the second comprises only five students. Without INC and RNC recognition, their degrees, professional registration, and employment prospects remain in serious doubt.
The university registrar, Dr Chandikaditya Kumawat, said a nine-member inspection committee had submitted its report to the Health Minister and that a No Objection Certificate (NOC) was in progress, with delays attributed to the ongoing parliamentary session.
The university has also filed a contempt petition against the RNC for failing to issue the NOC and add Mewar University to its approved list of institutions. That court case remains ongoing. Students, however, say they will not stand down until they see the NOC in writing.
