VHP questions admission process at Mata Vaishno Devi medical institute, seeks L-G's intervention

The Vishva Hindu Parishad has raised questions on the admission process adopted at the Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence, claiming a majority of those enrolled in the first batch are Muslims, and urged Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to look into the matter.

In a letter to Sinha on November 1, VHP general secretary Bajrang Bagra wrote, ''We have learned that in the first batch of 50 students at the Institute of Medical Excellence, only six are Hindus, while 44 are Muslim.'' He also claimed that the majority of the nursing college faculty are Muslims or Christians.

''This fact not only contradicts religious beliefs but also deeply offends the sentiments of the local and wider Hindu community,'' the senior VHP functionary said.

''We are currently not fully aware of the internal nature of the medical college admissions process; but the admission system at this sacred institution of Mata Vaishno Devi must appropriately accommodate religious sensitivities, cultural heritage and the expectations of future society,'' he said.

Bagra said that VHP expects that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, ''respectfully understanding the gravity of the situation, will promptly review its admission and appointment policies so that the religious commitment of the institution, balance, and the expectations of devotees and society alike are preserved''.

''Only Hindu teachers and staff'' should be appointed in all these institutions, he demanded.

''It is also pertinent to request that the board undertake only such public welfare projects that do not hurt the sentiments of Mata Rani's devotees and the devout Hindu community,'' he said in the letter.

The Rashtriya Bajrang Dal, last week, held a protest in Jammu demanding the grant of ''minority institution'' status to the newly established Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence to enable reservation of seats for Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir.