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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TN Assembly elections: Eight-month pregnant homemaker wins Thiru Vi Ka Nagar seat for TVK
Chennai (PTI): Before giving birth, she had already delivered a mandate—a symbol of hope for Thiru Vi Ka Nagar.
Echoing Delhi’s 2013 “common citizen” political churn associated with the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), an eight-month-pregnant homemaker, M R Pallavi, has been elected as an MLA from Chennai’s Thiru Vi Ka Nagar constituency, emerging as one of the notable first-time faces of the Vijay-led TVK in the recently held Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
In the narrow lanes of Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, a steady stream of media personnel has been making their way to Pallavi’s residence—a scene reminiscent of the result day in Delhi when journalists thronged the modest home of Rakhi Birla, who had won from Mangolpuri on an AAP ticket.
Pallavi, 36, a homemaker educated up to class XII, defeated the DMK candidate K S Ravichandran by a margin of 22,333 votes in the reserved Thiru Vi Ka Nagar Assembly constituency.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats, while DMK and AIADMK got 59 and 47, respectively.
Pallavi’s victory has drawn attention due to her personal circumstances. She campaigned extensively while eight months pregnant, going door-to-door to reach voters.
According to local accounts, she even fainted once during the campaign but continued her outreach.
She has not spoken to the media following her victory, as doctors have advised her to rest. Her husband, Rajesh, briefly recounted her campaign efforts.
A self-professed admirer of actor-turned-politician Vijay, Pallavi joined TVK soon after its formation and is now among its first-time legislators.
Doctors have advised her to be hospitalised around May 20, as she is expecting her second child. Ahead of that, voters in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar have entrusted her with representing them in the state Assembly.
Political observers say the rise of candidates like Pallavi signals a possible shift in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, with voters backing a new party and candidates from non-traditional backgrounds.
