In a move to pre-empt a planned student demonstration, authorities in Jammu and Kashmir placed several prominent political leaders under house arrest on Sunday, December 29, 2025. The crackdown targeted figures who had pledged support to students protesting the delay in reforming the Union Territory's contentious reservation policy for government jobs and colleges.
Leaders Detained, Protest Venue Sealed
The detained leaders included ruling National Conference (NC) Member of Parliament Aga Ruhullah Mehdi and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders Waheed Para and Iltija Mufti. Former Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattu was also confined to his residence. Police and paramilitary forces were deployed outside their homes from late Saturday night onwards.
The action effectively stifled the planned sit-in demonstration by open merit students. Following the arrests and the police sealing of the protest venue, the students' association announced the cancellation of their gathering. In a post on social media platform X, the association's spokesperson urged students to remain calm and return safely to their hostels or homes, stating the cancellation was due to "circumstances beyond our control."
Ruling Party Speaks in Different Voices
The incident revealed a clear rift within the ruling National Conference. Party president and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah accused those backing the protest of aiming to create chaos, claiming they were unhappy with the government's development work. "We will not let this happen," he stated.
In stark contrast, senior NC leader Tanvir Sadiq defended the students' right to protest. He questioned why a peaceful protest was being stifled now when similar demonstrations had been allowed earlier. "Let's be clear: we did not stop students from exercising their legitimate democratic right to protest... And we will not abandon them now," Sadiq asserted.
Meanwhile, NC spokesman Imran Nabi made the controversial claim that some leaders had "requested for house arrest" after being asked to protest against the Lieutenant Governor.
The Core Issue: Reservation Policy Rationalisation
The protests stem from a year-long demand by open merit students to "rationalise" the reservation quota in J&K. Under the current policy, less than 40% of seats in government jobs and professional colleges are reserved for open merit candidates, who constitute the majority of the population. Over 60% of seats are reserved for various categories.
Both the NC and PDP had promised to address this imbalance in their election manifestos. Under pressure, the NC government formed a cabinet sub-committee, which recommended a 50-50 split between open merit and reserved categories. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah stated the cabinet had approved this recommendation and sent the file to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for final approval.
The proposed changes involve reducing seats from the Residents of Backward Areas (RBA) and Economically Weaker Section (EWS) categories and adding them to the open merit pool, while leaving most other reserved quotas untouched.
In the days leading up to the protest, MP Ruhullah Mehdi and PDP's Waheed Para had been vocal in their support for the students. Mehdi had given the government until Saturday to engage with the students, threatening to join their sit-in on Sunday. Para called the policy an "existential issue" and demanded transparency, urging the government to make the reservation report public.
The pre-emptive house arrests have thus brought the simmering issue of reservation reform and the government's handling of dissent back into sharp focus, highlighting internal political divisions ahead of a crucial decision from Raj Bhavan.
