Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Wednesday has strongly condemned the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) administration over the issuance of a show cause notice to Zubair Altaf Reshi, a Kashmiri PhD scholar at the Department of Botany and National Spokesperson of Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, terming it an outright attack on academic freedom, democratic rights, and student dissent.
In a scathing statement, National Convenor of Association Nasir Khuehami called the show cause notice a brazen attempt to intimidate and silence a student for exercising his constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression.
He said that, “This is not just a disciplinary action, it is a dangerous message that dissent will be punished, that questioning institutional failure will cost you your degree. The Provost’s actions reek of administrative tyranny,” Khuehami asserted.
The Association revealed that the Provost of Mohammad Habib Hall, Dr Zubair Shahdab not only issued the notice but also personally threatened Zubair Reshi with dire consequences, including disengagement from his PhD program and debarment from the University, for highlighting financial mismanagement, decaying infrastructure, violating democratic & traditional norms of University and arbitrary decisions by the Hall authorities.
“This notice is an attempt to intimidate him for exercising his freedom of expression. Instead of addressing genuine concerns raised by the student, the administration has chosen to abuse its authority to threaten and silence him,” Khuehami added.
Association said this move reflects a larger, disturbing pattern of repression against student voices within AMU, particularly targeting progressive and democratic-minded students. The Association strongly condemned the issuance of an arbitrary show-cause notice to its National Spokesperson and other students engaged in peaceful dissent, calling it a deliberate design to muzzle critical thought and shut down campus democracy.
“Aligarh Muslim University has always been a bastion of academic rigor and student activism. To now see it descend into an atmosphere of fear, censorship, and administrative harassment is deeply worrying,” Khuehami emphasized.
The Association also demanded immediate revocation of such punitive notices and called for urgent action against the Provost for abuse of authority and student intimidation.
The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association has sought the intervention of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the AMU Vice Chancellor, urging them to protect the democratic fabric of the university and ensure accountability from erring officials. “The university must not become a surveillance state. Students must be allowed to question, organize, and protest without fear of academic persecution. We demand transparency, justice, and an end to this culture of institutional bullying,” Khuehami stressed.
The Association reiterated its unwavering solidarity with its National Spokesperson, Zubair Reshi, vowing to escalate the issue at national forums if corrective action is not taken immediately.
