VHP Questions Admission Process at Mata Vaishno Devi Medical Institute, Seeks LG’s Intervention
New Delhi: The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has raised objections to the admission process at the newly established Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence, alleging that a majority of students admitted to the first batch are Muslims. The organisation has urged Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to intervene and review the selection process.
In a letter dated November 1 to the Lieutenant Governor, VHP general secretary Bajrang Bagra claimed that out of 50 students admitted to the institute’s first batch, only six are Hindus while 44 are Muslims. He also alleged that most faculty members at the nursing college affiliated with the institute belong to the Muslim or Christian communities.
“This fact not only contradicts the religious nature of the institution but also deeply hurts the sentiments of the Hindu community,” Bagra wrote. He further said that while the VHP is not fully aware of the internal mechanisms of the admission process, the institute—being associated with the sacred shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi—must reflect the region’s cultural and religious sensitivities.
Bagra urged the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board to “urgently review its admission and appointment policies” to ensure that the institution’s religious ethos and the expectations of devotees are upheld. He also demanded that only Hindu teachers and staff be appointed at the institute.
The VHP leader added that the Shrine Board should undertake only those welfare projects that do not offend the sentiments of Mata Vaishno Devi’s devotees.
Meanwhile, the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal recently staged a protest in Jammu demanding that the institute be granted “minority institution” status to enable reservation of seats for Hindu students in Jammu and Kashmir.
