JAMMU — Outfits affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have launched protests in the Jammu region, demanding that the Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Institute of Medical Excellence scrap the admission list for its first batch of students, 90% of whom are Muslims from Kashmir.
The protests, supported by BJP Udhampur MLA R.S. Pathania and led by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, argue that an institute funded by donations to the Vaishno Devi shrine should not be dominated by members of the Muslim community, and that seats be reserved for Hindus, The Indian Express reported on Friday.
However, under existing rules, this is not legally possible, as the Vaishnodevi medical institute is not classified as a minority institute.
The controversy erupted after the J&K Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (JKBOPEE) released a list of 50 selected candidates for the Vaishnodevi medical institute. Among them, 42 are from Kashmir and eight from Jammu. Of them, 36 from Kashmir and three from Jammu have already taken admission.
As per the report, protesters demonstrated outside the institute and even burnt the effigy of the Chief Executive Officer of the Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.
VHP J&K president Rajesh Gupta demanded that admissions for the 2025-26 session be put on hold. “The management should correct its “mistake” and ensure that a majority of the students picked for the next one are Hindus,” TIE quoted him as saying. He further called the list of 50 drawn up this time “a conspiracy to Islamize the medical college”.
Meanwhile, Rattan Lal Gupta, National Conference Jammu province president, blamed the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, which runs the college. He opined that they should have sought minority status while applying to the National Medical Council (NMC) to set up a medical college.
Since the board did not seek such status, the JKBOPEE had no choice but to select students based on NEET merit, Gupta stated, adding: “Most of the students with higher merit happened to be from the majority community (Muslims) in Kashmir.”
Officials, quoted in the report, emphasised that the admissions were conducted in accordance with NMC guidelines, which require all 1,685 seats in the 13 medical colleges of J&K to be filled based on NEET scores. Additionally, 85% of seats are reserved for UT domiciles, with the remaining 15% open to candidates from the rest of the country.
