Jammu: Protests outside Lok Bhavan, LG’s effigy burnt over MBBS admission row
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Jammu: Dozens of protesters on Saturday gathered outside Lok Bhavan in Jammu and burnt an effigy of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, demanding the revocation of the MBBS admission list of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Raising slogans such as “LG go back”, the protest was organised by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti, a recently formed conglomeration of various right-wing organisations. JK Bharatiya Janata Party women activists and several trade leaders, including Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industries president Arun Gupta, also participated in the demonstration.
The protest led to the blocking of the main road outside Lok Bhavan, resulting in traffic snarls on adjoining roads and causing inconvenience to commuters for more than one-and-a-half hours. Police personnel were deployed in strength to maintain law and order and regulate traffic, and they had a tough time pushing back protesters who attempted to move inside the complex.
Samiti convener Colonel Sukhvir Singh Mankotia said the agitation would continue until their demands were addressed. “We will continue our protest till the resolution of our genuine demands, which are related to our faith. We are not against students of any particular religion, but we want the seats in the medical college to be reserved for Hindu students alone,” he told reporters.
He said the protest was held outside Lok Bhavan as the Lieutenant Governor is the chairman of the shrine board and it is his responsibility to ensure that the religious sentiments of any community are not hurt. Mankotia added that the government should close the medical college if there was any difficulty in reserving the seats for Hindu students.
The controversy erupted after admissions to the inaugural MBBS batch of 50 students were completed through the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test merit list last month. The batch includes 42 Muslim candidates, mostly from Kashmir, seven Hindu students from Jammu, and one Sikh candidate.
The protests were initially launched by right-wing Hindu groups, which later led to the formation of the Sangharsh Samiti. Its leaders have already held talks with the Lieutenant Governor and central government leaders, including the Union health minister, over the issue.
With PTI inputs