Tensions have escalated in Jammu after the Yuva Rajput Sabha and several Hindu groups staged protests opposing the appointment of Muslim doctors at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Hospital, arguing that an institution funded by Hindu devotees should “prioritise hiring Hindus.”
Members of the Yuva Rajput Sabha in Jammu protested against the appointment of Muslim doctors at the Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Hospital, claiming that a shrine-funded institution should employ Hindu medical and support staff to reflect the religious sentiments of devotees.
The controversy erupted after revelations that 42 out of 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.
Various Hindutva organisations, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal, termed the admissions “religiously imbalanced” and demanded reservation or preference for Hindu students.
In a letter dated November 1 to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, VHP general secretary Bajrang Bagra alleged that selecting a majority of Muslim students created a “religious imbalance,” urging the administration and the Shrine Board to “protect the religious sentiment of devotees.”
Bagra wrote that institutions linked to the Shrine Board “should appropriately accommodate the religious sentiment of the devotees and ensure that the commitment and identity of the institution are not diluted.”
He further urged the Board to review its hiring and admission policies to ensure that “Hindu teachers and staff are appointed to uphold the sanctity of the institution.”
However, admissions and staff recruitment at SMVDIME and the Shrine Board hospital are governed strictly by NEET merit and J&K domicile rules, leaving no provision for religious consideration.
Despite this, the VHP insisted on 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 added. He also appealed 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 the allotment of 42 MBBS seats to Muslims, seven to Hindus, and one to a Sikh was “discriminatory,” demanding immediate intervention.
The Shrine Board has yet to issue an official statement addressing the protests or the concerns raised by these organisations.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com.
