Hindutva Groups Protest Muslim Hiring and MBBS Admissions at Vaishno Devi Medical Institutions
Several organisations demand preference for Hindu staff and students, but officials say hiring and admissions follow NEET and domicile rules.
Tensions have risen in Jammu after members of the Yuva Rajput Sabha and several Hindutva groups protested the appointment of Muslim doctors at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Hospital. Protesters argued that an institution funded by Hindu devotees should prioritise hiring Hindu medical and support staff.
The outrage grew further when it was revealed that 42 out of the 50 students admitted to the first MBBS batch (2025–26) at the newly established Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) belonged to the Muslim community. Several organisations, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal, described the admissions as “religiously imbalanced” and demanded that Hindu students be given preference or reservation.
In a letter dated November 1 to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, VHP general secretary Bajrang Bagra said the selection of a majority of Muslim students had created a “religious imbalance.” He urged the administration and the Shrine Board to protect the sentiments of devotees, arguing that institutions linked to the Shrine Board must reflect their religious identity.
Bagra also appealed to the Board to review its hiring and admission policies to ensure that more Hindu teachers and staff are appointed. He said this was necessary to “uphold the sanctity” of the institution.
However, officials have clarified that admissions and recruitment at SMVDIME and the Shrine Board hospital are guided solely by NEET scores and Jammu & Kashmir domicile criteria. There is no scope for considering religion under these rules.
Despite this, the VHP continued to press for policy changes. “We expect the Shrine Board to promptly review its admission and appointment policies so that the religious commitment of the institution and the expectations of devotees are preserved,” Bagra said. He also warned that public welfare projects undertaken by the Board should not “hurt the sentiments of Mata Rani’s devotees.”
Rashtriya Bajrang Dal Jammu president Rakesh Bajrangi claimed that allotting 42 MBBS seats to Muslim students, seven to Hindu students, and one to a Sikh amounted to “discrimination” and demanded immediate corrective action.
The Shrine Board has not yet issued an official statement responding to the protests or the concerns raised by these groups.
