JAMMU — The Yuva Rajput Sabha on Monday protested and demanded that Muslim students be shifted from the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) and Hindus get reservation.
The protest followed the selection of 42 Muslims, mostly from Kashmir, one Sikh and seven Hindu candidates through the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) against the sanctioned 50 MBBS seats for the 2025–26 academic session.
The medical college, built on 34 acres of land owned by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, was granted permission by the National Medical Commission on September 8 to commence admissions for the session.
Activists, led by Yuva Rajput Sabha leader Mandeep Singh, staged a demonstration at the Tawi bridge, alleging that the admission was part of a “conspiracy” against Jammu and the minority Hindu community there through, what they termed, flawed legislative bylaws.
Protesters raised slogans against the government, the Lieutenant Governor’s administration, accusing them of denying Hindus reservation on the pattern of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, Islamic University, and Mahant Bijender Singh institutions, which they claimed provide community-based reservations.
“This protest is a matter of faith as Mata Vaishno Devi University and its colleges are important institutions for the community in Jammu and Kashmir. The Act and bylaws have been deliberately framed in a manner that harms the Hindu community,” Mandeep Singh told reporters.
He warned that the outfit would intensify its protest if the government failed to address its demands within 15 days.
The Yuva Rajput Sabha expressed full support to the Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Sangharsh Samiti (SMVSS), a conglomeration of several organisations spearheading the movement.
The group urged the LG administration, the J-K government and the Centre to honour assurances regarding admissions and sought declaration of Mata Vaishno Devi University as a minority institution.
They also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to amend the Act and bylaws of the university in the interest of what they termed the welfare of Sanatan Dharma and Hindu students. — (PTI)