SRINAGAR — The Kashmir University Ministerial Staff Association (KUMSA), an employee body representing the university’s non-teaching staff, has allegedly remained unable to function since 2022, despite members claiming that all formalities sought by the authorities were completed, including submission of its Constitution, details of members and source of income.
Employees and members associated with KUMSA alleged that the association was effectively blocked from functioning after a dispute with the university administration in 2022, but said no written order communicating its suspension, dissolution or prohibition has been made available to them.
According to members, they were asked to submit details concerning the association, including its Constitution, biodata of its members, information regarding its source of income, and clarification on whether the association was political or apolitical. They said all required information and documents were subsequently submitted, yet the association was not allowed to resume its activities.
The employees alleged that the absence of a formal written order has left them without clarity about the legal or administrative basis on which KUMSA’s functioning was stopped.
Background
KUMSA has a long history at the University of Kashmir. Members said the association was established in 1978 and has continued to represent non-teaching employees through different administrations and generations of office-bearers. Its office-bearers have represented non-teaching employees in discussions with the university administration for years, while university records also show the association’s participation in institutional affairs.
In 2018, the University Council formally considered a request from KUMSA seeking representation in university statutory bodies. The Council did not approve representation up to the level of the Syndicate but resolved that the KUMSA president could be heard by competent bodies on a case-to-case basis.
In February 2021, KUMSA released its revised Constitution at a function attended by then Vice-Chancellor Prof Talat Ahmad, at which the university administration publicly acknowledged the association and its role in representing non-teaching employees.
The association was also actively engaging with the university administration in February 2022, when the university issued a detailed public response to allegations raised by KUMSA. The university spokesperson at the time described some of the association’s demands as illegitimate and accused its office-bearers of using pressure tactics, while KUMSA had raised issues concerning employees and administrative functioning.
Employees now allege that following the developments of 2022, the association’s functioning was effectively brought to a halt.
Welfare role
Employees said the impact has gone beyond representation of employees on service-related matters, claiming that KUMSA had also been functioning as a welfare mechanism for non-teaching staff, particularly retired employees and those facing serious health or other personal difficulties.
Some members told the news agency KNT that employees contributed around ₹300 each month towards the association’s welfare activities, and that the collected funds were used to provide assistance to employees in need. They alleged that the association had extended support to retired employees and staff members suffering from different ailments, and had provided a platform through which employees could collectively raise their grievances before the administration.
Some members alleged that certain officers who were uncomfortable with an employee body seeking accountability were instrumental in ensuring that the association remained non-functional. This allegation could not be independently established.
Comparison with Jammu University, demands
The employees said the absence of an active association has weakened their collective ability to raise issues concerning service conditions, welfare and administrative decisions.
They also pointed to Jammu University, saying its non-teaching employees continue to have an organized representative body, and questioned why a similar arrangement should not be permitted at the University of Kashmir.
The members are seeking the immediate restoration of the association’s functioning and have urged university authorities to clarify its status through formal written communication rather than keeping employees in uncertainty. They said that if there is any legal or administrative impediment to KUMSA’s functioning, the authorities should communicate it formally and provide the association an opportunity to address any deficiencies. If all required formalities have already been fulfilled, they demanded that the association be allowed to function normally.
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