Kashmiri Students’ Detention in Rajasthan Sparks Protest by Families in Srinagar Srinagar, Parents and relatives of Kashmiri students studying nursing at Mewar University in Rajasthan staged a protest in Srinagar on Thursday, alleging their children were detained for two days after raising concerns about the recognition status of a course they say lacks approval from regulatory authorities despite students nearing the final semester. The protesting families said several students enrolled in the B.Sc Nursing Programme at the Rajasthan-based university were taken into custody during a campus protest and later released, triggering anxiety among families in Kashmir about the safety and academic future of their children studying outside the Union Territory. Many of the affected students are reportedly approaching the eighth semester of the four-year nursing Programme and had secured admission under an education initiative linked to the Army’s Sadbhavana outreach Programme aimed at supporting students from Jammu and Kashmir. Parents said the controversy emerged after students began questioning whether the nursing course had the mandatory approval from the Indian Nursing Council and the Rajasthan Nursing Council, approvals required for professional registration and employment in the nursing sector. According to the protesting families, students sought clarification from the university administration after learning that the programme’s recognition status was unclear. “When our children questioned the authorities about the course approval, they were detained during the protest and kept in jail for two days. They were mentally harassed and treated like criminals,” a protesting parent told reporters during the demonstration in Srinagar. The parents said their children had spent nearly four years pursuing the Programme and were now on the verge of completing their degrees, making the uncertainty over recognition particularly alarming. “If the course is not recognized, the entire future of these students will be destroyed. Four years of study and huge financial expenses will go to waste,” another parent said. Family members said many of the students belong to middle-class or economically weaker families who had relied on scholarship support to pursue professional education outside Jammu and Kashmir. The protesters urged the Government of India and the Jammu and Kashmir administration to intervene and clarify the recognition status of the nursing Programme to ensure that the students’ academic careers are protected. Parents also demanded that authorities guarantee the safety of Kashmiri students studying outside the region and ensure that no student is penalised for raising concerns about academic or administrative issues. “We want authorities to immediately investigate the matter and secure the future of our children. If the course lacks approval, the students should be shifted to recognised institutions so their careers are not ruined,” one of the protesting relatives said. Parents participating in Thursday’s protest warned that they would continue their agitation until authorities provide clear assurances regarding the recognition of the course and the welfare of the students