JAMMU: A large number of protesters on Saturday gathered outside Lok Bhavan in Jammu, demanding revocation of the MBBS admission list of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) in Reasi district. The protesters were mostly activists of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti, who are up in arms against 42 of the total 50 seats going to Muslim candidates.Waving flags and holding banners, around 250-300 activists shouted slogans against Jammu and Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha, who is the chairperson of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board as well as SMVDIME, as they struggled to make their way into the Lok Bhavan. A strong police contingent foiled their bid.Later, the protesters were joined by J&K BJP’s women members and several trade leaders, including president of Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industries Arun Gupta.Talking to media persons, convener of the Sangarsh Samiti, Colonel Sukhvir Singh Mankotia, said the protest would continue “till the resolution of our genuine demands which are related to our faith”.“We are not against students of any particular religion. We just want the seats in the medical college to be reserved for Hindu students alone,” he said, adding that the selected Muslim students be transferred to other colleges. The controversy erupted after seats for the inaugural MBBS batch of 50 students were filled through the NEET merit list last month. While 42 Muslim candidates, mostly from Kashmir, were selected for admission, only seven Hindu students from Jammu and one Sikh made it to the list.Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) has demanded a resolution of the dispute, saying it was possible through the joint efforts of the Centre and Omar Abdullah govt. The party’s J&K unit chief Manish Sahni, in a veiled attack on BJP, said, “Those who are fanning the flames of agitation from behind the scenes are largely responsible for the dispute. Even when Articles 370 and 35A were abrogated in J&K in 2019, no interest was shown in amending the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University Act to prioritise Hindus.”He also demanded that Hindus should be granted minority status in J&K.
