Protests outside Lok Bhavan in Jammu, LG’s effigy burnt over medical college admission row

Protesters in Jammu, led by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti, set ablaze an effigy of Lt Governor Manoj Sinha demanding Hindu-only MBBS seat reservations at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute, blocking roads and causing traffic disruptions

Jammu: Dozens of protesters on Saturday gathered outside Lok Bhavan here and set ablaze an effigy of Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, demanding revocation of the MBBS admission list of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi.

Raising slogans such as “LG go back”, the protest was organised by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti, a recently-formed conglomeration of various right-wing organizations.

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JK BJP’s women activists and several trade leaders including president of Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industries Arun Gupta also joined the protest.

The protest led to the blocking of the main road outside Lok Bhavan, resulting in traffic snarls on adjoining roads and causing hardship to commuters for more than one-and-a-half hours.

Police personnel were deployed in strength outside the Lok Bhavan to maintain law and order and regulate traffic, and a tough time to push back protesters who tried to move inside the complex.

“We will continue our protest till the resolution of our genuine demands which are related to our faith. We are not against students of any particular religion, we just want the seats in the medical college to be reserved for Hindu students alone,” Samiti convener Colonel Sukhvir Singh Mankotia told reporters.

He said they have staged the protest outside the Lok Bhavan because Lt Governor is the chairman of the shrine board and it is his responsibility to ensure that the religious sentiments of any community should not be hurt.

Mankotia said the government should close the medical college if there is any problem in reserving the seats for the Hindu students.

The controversy began after admissions for the inaugural MBBS batch of 50 students were completed through the NEET merit list last month. This batch includes 42 Muslim candidates, mostly from Kashmir, seven Hindu students from Jammu and one Sikh candidate.

The protests were started by right-wing Hindu groups which later led to the formation of the Sangarsh Samiti and its leaders have already held talks with Lt Governor and leaders of the central government including Union health minister.