Chittorgarh/Jammu, March 10:
Tension escalated at Mewar University in Rajasthan’s Chittorgarh on Monday as seventeen Kashmiri students were arrested following a high-stakes protest over the lack of official recognition for their B.Sc Nursing course. The demonstration, which has been simmering for nearly a month, took a dramatic turn when a student allegedly attempted self-immolation.
The Incident: Suicide Attempt and Arrests
The protest broke out on the university campus Monday afternoon, with students raising slogans against the administration. According to Gangrar SHO Shyam Gurjar, the situation turned critical when one student poured petrol on himself from a plastic bottle in an attempt to self-immolate.
Police personnel on the scene intervened, preventing the act and detaining the group. The 17 students now face charges including obstructing public servants and attempted suicide. They were produced before the Gangrar Court and sent to judicial custody, with a bail hearing scheduled for today.
The Core Dispute: Recognition Row
The students, who traveled from Jammu and Kashmir to enroll in the program, allege they were misled by university advertisements. After admission, they discovered the B.Sc Nursing course lacked mandatory approvals from:
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Rajasthan Nursing Council (RNC)
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Indian Nursing Council (INC)
Without these approvals, the students’ degrees would be professionally invalid, preventing them from registering as nurses or seeking employment in the healthcare sector.
University vs. Students: A Growing Crisis
This is not the first time the issue has made headlines. On February 12, 33 Kashmiri students were suspended after initial protests, a move that was only revoked after the intervention of the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister’s office.
While the university maintains that it has filed a contempt petition against the RNC to force the issuance of a No Objection Certificate (NOC), the students remains skeptical. The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) has urged both the Rajasthan and J&K governments to ensure that the students do not lose an academic year due to institutional negligence
