Echoes of regional discord reverberate as Iltija Mufti, rising PDP voice and daughter of Mehbooba Mufti, blasts Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann via social media over a shocking university scandal. At the heart: CT University’s Vice Chancellor allegedly compelling Kashmiri Muslim students to vacate premises and dangling admission terminations for seeking Sehri and Iftar arrangements during sacred Ramadan observances.
Her pointed X post queried Mann outright: ‘Do you condone the VC’s mistreatment of Kashmiri Muslims merely for Ramadan food requests?’ Stunned that Punjab mirrors such hostility toward Kashmiris, Iltija demanded iron-fisted repercussions for the administrator, branding alternatives as farce. She alerted Punjab Police and DGP to step in decisively.
The episode spotlights persistent challenges for minority students in mainstream institutions, amplified by Kashmir’s fraught history. Iltija’s prior crusade against Bihar’s Nitish Kumar—over a 2023 video depicting hijab interference, which she litigated as dignity-shattering—affirms her commitment.
Post her unsuccessful 2024 bid in J&K’s PDP stronghold Gufwara-Bijbehara (Anantnag), she sustains momentum through platforms voicing Kashmiri interests, humanitarian causes, youth upliftment, and autonomy aspirations.
With the video’s virality fueling outrage, Mann’s AAP regime treads carefully. Proactive redress could mend fences; inaction might embolden critics and exacerbate north India’s communal fault lines.