Mehbooba slams CUK over nepotism allegations

Srinagar, Oct 2: Former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti has raised serious concerns over the functioning of the Central University of Kashmir (CUK), alleging rampant nepotism, backdoor appointments, and a decline in academic standards. She described the situation at the university as one of “lawlessness and misgovernance” and appealed to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to intervene by ordering an impartial inquiry.
Mehbooba said that the institution, which was established with the aim of providing quality higher education to the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, is instead being “run like a personal enterprise” where established norms and governance protocols are being flouted. She warned that such practices pose a grave threat to the future of students in the Union Territory. “The Central University of Kashmir was supposed to be a beacon of learning and opportunity, but it is being reduced to an arena of favoritism and nepotism. This threatens to undermine the trust of our students in the very system meant to empower them,” Mehbooba said.
Her remarks follow reports that a number of appointments at the university have allegedly been made through backdoor channels, bypassing proper selection procedures. According to these allegations, many of those who secured posts are outsiders, raising questions about transparency and fairness in recruitment.
Reacting to the controversy, former Inspector General of Police Abdul Rashid Khan, as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust, said the problem of nepotism in higher education institutions in Kashmir is not new. Drawing a comparison, he recalled how similar issues had surfaced in the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) in Awantipora, where appointments were allegedly influenced by political connections and favoritism. “This is normal in Kashmir. Unfortunately, our universities, which should be the highest seats of learning, have allowed nepotism and political interference to dictate appointments. The result is that educational standards remain average and research output negligible,” Khan said.
The allegations have sparked a wider debate among students, teachers, and netizens, many of whom expressed concern over the implications for higher education in Jammu and Kashmir. On social media, several students described the reports as “deeply disappointing” and said that the credibility of a central university must not be compromised by opaque recruitment practices. “Nepotism and misgovernance at the Central University of Kashmir are jeopardizing students’ futures. If this continues unchecked, our institutions will fail to compete with the rest of the country,” one student activist posted online.
Another group of netizens urged the Ministry of Education to take immediate cognizance of the matter. “An urgent and impartial inquiry is the only way to restore credibility to CUK and protect the aspirations of thousands of students in J&K,” read one widely circulated message.
The Central University of Kashmir, established in 2009, was envisioned as one of the key national institutions that would enhance academic opportunities for students of the Valley and bring the standard of higher education closer to national benchmarks. Over the years, however, the university has faced criticism over infrastructure delays, faculty shortages, and now, alleged governance failures. [KNT]