Sangh outfits protest Vaishnodevi Medical college admissions after 90% selectees are Muslims: Report
Katra: Outfits linked to the Sangh Parivar have launched protests in the Jammu region, demanding that the Katra-based Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Institute of Medical Excellence scrap the admission list for its first batch of students, as 90% of the selectees are Muslims from Kashmir.
The protests, supported by BJP Udhampur MLA R.S. Pathania and led by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, argue that an institute funded by donations to the Vaishno Devi shrine should not be dominated by members of the Muslim community, and that seats be reserved for Hindus, as reported by The Indian Express on Friday.
However, under existing rules, this is not legally possible, as the Vaishnodevi medical institute is not classified as a minority institute.
The controversy erupted after the J&K Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (JKBOPEE) released a list of 50 selected candidates for the Vaishnodevi medical institute. Among them, 42 are from Kashmir and eight from Jammu. Of them, 36 from Kashmir and three from Jammu have already taken admission.
Protesters have demonstrated outside the institute and even burnt the effigy of the Chief Executive Officer of the Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, added the report.
VHP J&K president Rajesh Gupta demanded that admissions for the 2025-26 session be put on hold. “The management should correct its “mistake” and ensure that a majority of the students picked for the next one are Hindus,” TIE quoted him as saying. He further called the list of 50 drawn up this time “a conspiracy to Islamize the medical college”.
Meanwhile, Rattan Lal Gupta, National Conference Jammu province president, blamed the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, which runs the college. He opined that they should have sought minority status while applying to the National Medical Council (NMC) to set up a medical college.
Since the board did not seek such status, the JKBOPEE had no choice but to select students based on NEET merit, Gupta stated, adding: “Most of the students with higher merit happened to be from the majority community (Muslims) in Kashmir.”
Officials, quoted in the report, emphasised that the admissions were conducted in accordance with NMC guidelines, which require all 1,685 seats in the 13 medical colleges of J&K to be filled based on NEET scores. Additionally, 85% of seats are reserved for UT domiciles, with the remaining 15% open to candidates from the rest of the country.
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Rupee falls 9 paise to all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): Rupee depreciated 9 paise to an all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade on Monday, weighed down by uncertainty over an India-US trade deal and persistent foreign fund outflows.
Forex traders said rupee is trading with a negative bias as investors are in wait and watch mode and awaiting cues from the India-US trade deal front.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.53 against the US dollar, then fell further to an all-time intraday low of 90.58 against the greenback, registering a fall of 9 paise over its previous close.
On Friday, the rupee had slipped 17 paise to close at an all-time low of 90.49 against the American currency.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.05 per cent lower at 98.35.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.52 per cent at USD 61.44 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex was trading 298.86 points lower at 84,968.80, while the Nifty was down 121.40 points at 25,925.55.
Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 1,114.22 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
"FPIs continue to be in selling mode in equity and debt while RBI has been selling dollars to fund their long positions," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
