Jammu Medical College Admission Row: Omar Tells BJP it Should Push For Minority Status For Institute
The Wire Staff
Real journalism holds power accountable
Since 2015, The Wire has done just that.
But we can continue only with your support.
New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday (November 25) told the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that if it wants to ensure that no non-Hindu student gets admission at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME), the saffron party should push for declaring the institute as a minority institute.
Abdullah’s retort comes days after a delegation of BJP leaders headed by leader of opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly Sunil Sharma met lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha and demanded that the seats at the SMVDIME be reserved for Hindu students only.
“Faith is fine but when you were building the college, it should have been given the minority status at that time. The admissions happen on the basis of NEET and other tests and not on the basis of religion,” Abdullah told reporters on Tuesday, reported Hindustan Times.
“Now if you want Muslims to not get admission in this institute, let it be the case. Declare it a minority institute and the Muslims and one Sikh student who have secured their admission on the basis of their merit should be given admission somewhere else. But keep in mind your role when you raise a finger against Muslims and allege that they have become communal, sectarian and do not tolerate others,” Abdullah added.
The row erupted last week after activists of the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal (RBD), reportedly affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, stormed into the Reasi campus of the medical institute.
The RBD activists were joined by Sangh parivar affiliates, including the Vishva Hindu Parishad and others, who set the effigy of the chief executive officer of the Vaishno Devi Shrine Board on fire while demanding that the admission of Muslim students be scrapped.
“It is not acceptable to us. Having students and people from other religions here won’t be good for donors and the shrine board. Hence we have requested the lieutenant governor to provide admissions to only those students who believe in Mata Vaishno Devi,” J&K leader of opposition Sharma had said.
This article went live on November twenty-sixth, two thousand twenty five, at twenty-four minutes past twelve at noon.
The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.