Overview
- Authorities confined several political figures to their homes, including Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, Mehbooba Mufti, Iltija Mufti, Waheed Parra and Junaid Mattu, ahead of the planned demonstration.
- Open‑merit students called off the protest after police sealed the venue and deployed forces across central Srinagar, with Sheri Kashmir Park locked and checkpoints set up near Polo View.
- Student representatives and leaders reported overnight detentions and intimidation, and the Open Merit Students Association later said some detained student leaders were released following interventions.
- The current reservation framework is accused by protesters of shrinking open‑merit seats to below 40 percent in jobs and admissions, prompting demands for “rationalisation.”
- Political reactions split the ruling NC, with Farooq Abdullah defending the clampdown and party colleagues asserting students’ right to protest, while the LG’s office and J&K police offered no public explanation.