BJP protest admissions at Vaishno Devi medical college in Reasi as 42 of 50 MBBS seats go to Muslim students

A delegation of BJP legislators late Saturday called on Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, seeking a review of the first admission list of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) in Reasi district, after the 50-seat MBBS batch was found to comprise 42 students from the Muslim community. The delegation, led by Leader of Opposition in the J&K Assembly, Sunil Sharma, met Lieutenant Governor and submitted a memorandum, seeking 'corrective action' and a review of the admission norms. Accompanying Sharma were MLAs Sham Lal Sharma, Surjit Singh Slathia, Devinder Kumar Manyal, and Ranbir Singh Pathania. According to an India Today report, the dispute arose after the institutes first MBBS seat-allocation list for the 202526 academic year showed 42 Muslim students out of 50 seats, with only seven Hindus and one Sikh admitted. Several Hindu organisations alleged that a shrine-funded institution should prioritise Hindu representation and demanded that SMVDIME be declared a minority institution to enable community-based reservation. During the meeting with the Lt Governor, the BJP delegation argued that the medical college, funded by donations to the Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, should reflect the faith and devotion of the pilgrims contributing to it. Sunil Sharma told mediapersons that the current selection was not acceptable to local residents and urged that admissions consider students having faith in the deity, reported PTI . The opposition argued that the institute is purely religious in nature and linked to devotion, faith, and loyalty of crores of devotees who make donations with the expectation that the money would be utilised for religious and cultural expansion, Sharma said, according to PTI . Officials, however, maintained that admissions were purely merit-based, emphasising that SMVDIME has not been granted minority status and therefore no religion-based reservation can be applied. The controversy escalated earlier this week when members of the Yuva Rajput Sabha, Rashtriya Bajrang Dal, and Movement Kalki staged protests at the institute. Leaders of these groups claimed that only seven Hindus and one Sikh were admitted, calling the distribution unacceptable and insisting on a fresh admission process, India Today reported. Rashtriya Bajrang Dal president Rakesh Bajrangi said that of the first batch of 50 students, 42 are Muslims, which is not acceptable to them, and demanded a fresh admission process and a re-examination of rules to guarantee sufficient reservation for Hindus. BJP MLA from Udhampur, RS Pathania, posted on X that institutions built from the devotion and offerings of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims must function in full alignment with the Shrines sacred ethos and that amendments to the Shrine Board Act and University Act are now essential. The protest leaders warned they would intensify their agitation if Lieutenant Governor Sinha, who chairs the Shrine Board, did not intervene promptly, according to India Today. Meanwhile, the Lieutenant Governor assured the BJP delegation that the matter was being examined and that an appropriate decision would be taken, PTI reported. SMVDIME was sanctioned 50 MBBS seats for the current academic year. While the BJP delegation and protest leaders call for faith-based consideration in admissions, officials continue to stress that selection has been conducted on merit and no religion-based reservation is applicable.