ASIF RASHID
JAMMU DEC 06 : A fresh political and communal storm erupted in Jammu on Friday as several Hindu right-wing organisations, under the banner of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti (SMVSS), staged a major protest demanding that Muslim students admitted to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) be shifted out and the seats reserved exclusively for Hindu students.
On Friday, Hundreds of protesters occupied the vital Tawi bridge, raising slogans against the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and the Lieutenant Governor, who heads the Shrine Board. The demonstration was led by SMVSS convener Sukhbir Singh Mankotia.
Mankotia told the gathering that the agitation was not communal. “This is the battle of our faith. Some people are trying to give it a communal colour, and the society has to be careful of such people,” he said. He rejected Omar Abdullah’s assertion that the admissions were strictly merit-based, calling the statement “wrong” and “shameful”.
The row began after 42 Muslim, one Sikh and seven Hindu students were selected for the 50 MBBS seats for the 2025–26 session, all through the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). The SMVSS, backed by organisations such as the BJP, VHP, Bajrang Dal, Shiv Sena, Dogra Front, and other Hindu groups, has held dozens of protests across Jammu and Reasi. Mankotia argued that the Shrine Board was funded by donations from lakhs of Hindu devotees and therefore should spend this money “only for those who have faith in Mata Vaishno Devi”. He said the Samiti would intensify its movement until the Shrine Board altered the admission policy and associated institutions with “Hindu religious priorities”.
Purushottam Dadhichi, a core committee member and president of Shri Sanatan Dharma Sabha, accused successive Jammu and Kashmir governments of failing to contribute to the development of the Vaishno Devi shrine. Responding to the controversy, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary reiterated that admissions at the medical college were made purely on merit.
