J&K Students’ Association backs CJP protest, condemns Delhi Police action

Srinagar, July 21 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Tuesday supported the CJP protest in New Delhi and condemned police action against students protesting the NEET paper leak.

National convenor of JKSA, Nasir Khuehami said in a statement on Tuesday that the association extends its unequivocal support to the students and youth participating in the CJP-led protest in New Delhi and strongly condemns the excessive and disproportionate use of force by the Delhi Police against peaceful demonstrators exercising their democratic and constitutional right to assemble and voice their concerns.

Khuehami, said the deeply disturbing visuals emerging from the protest site, showing unarmed students and young demonstrators being lathi-charged, tear-gassed, dragged, assaulted, and detained, have shocked the conscience of the nation.

He said women, students, and peaceful participants were subjected to physical force while attempting to carry out a democratic march. Such scenes have no place in a constitutional democracy that derives its legitimacy from the rule of law, constitutional morality, and the consent of its citizens.

He said the right to peaceful assembly, freedom of speech, and the expression of dissent are guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution of India. Peaceful protest remains one of the strongest pillars of democracy, and responding to it with coercion, intimidation, and violence weakens the very constitutional values that public institutions are duty-bound to uphold.

The Association stated that the NEET-2026 paper leak is the latest in a disturbing series of examination scandals that have severely eroded the credibility of the country’s examination and recruitment system.

Over the past several years, repeated incidents of paper leaks, irregularities, and administrative failures have shattered the aspirations of lakhs of students who invest years of hard work, sacrifice, and hope in competitive examinations.

He emphasised that instead of restoring public confidence through transparency, accountability, and meaningful reforms, students demanding justice have been met with brute force.

The concerned Deputy Commissioner of Police must explain under whose directions such extensive use of lathi-charge, tear gas, and force against peaceful protesters was authorised.

The Association said, “The aspirations of our youth are being lathi-charged while those responsible for destroying their future continue to enjoy protection. This is deeply disturbing and unacceptable in any democracy.”

He asserted that a government which genuinely believes in democratic values must answer dissent with dialogue, not intimidation. The government should have taken students into confidence and constructively engaged with their genuine concerns instead of allowing the situation to escalate into confrontation. Violence can never be the answer to peaceful democratic expression.

The Association said disagreement with a movement or its demands can never justify the excessive use of force against peaceful demonstrators. Democracies flourish through dialogue, debate, and public participation; not through baton charges, tear gas, intimidation, or the suppression of dissent. Students are not enemies of the State; they are the voice of the nation’s future. Their concerns deserve to be heard with empathy and seriousness, not silenced through coercive measures.

Khuehami questioned why the government has failed to initiate meaningful dialogue with students and youth who are demanding accountability and fairness. “Why can the government not engage with students who are peacefully seeking justice? Why can it not concede genuine and legitimate demands instead of responding with force?” he asked.

The Association reiterated that the genuine demands of students must be addressed through democratic engagement and institutional accountability. It called upon the Government of India and the Delhi Police to ensure that the constitutional rights, dignity, and safety of every peaceful protester are protected.

Allegations of excessive use of force must be subjected to an independent, impartial, transparent, and time-bound enquiry, and accountability must be fixed wherever violations are established.

The Association further said that the Union Government must restore public confidence in the examination system by ensuring a transparent and time-bound investigation into the NEET-2026 paper leak, identifying those responsible, dismantling the networks involved, and taking exemplary action against every individual responsible for compromising the future of students.

It said political and administrative accountability is equally essential in restoring the faith of millions of aspirants and urged Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to accept moral responsibility for the repeated failures that have undermined the integrity of national examinations.

Reaffirming its support for the movement, JKSA announced that it stands firmly with the legitimate and democratic demands raised by the CJP and the protesting students.

The Association said its office-bearers will visit the protest site in New Delhi to express solidarity with the agitating students, interact with the protesters, and extend all possible support to the movement.

–IANS

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