Jammu, Nov 25 A major controversy erupted in J&K on Tuesday over the admission of students to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) between Omar Abdullah and a right-wing Hindu organisation.
While the right-wing Hindu organisation has threatened agitation unless the admission of 42 Muslim students to SMVDIME is revoked, as the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, cautioned that it is because of such demands that the Muslim students seek admission in minority institutions and then get marginalised and radicalised.
Convener of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangarsh Samiti, Retired Colonel Sukhbir Singh Mankotia, on Tuesday, opposed the admissions to 42 students from the muslim community out of the 50 MBBS seats in the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical College.
Mankotia said while addressing a press conference, “We have formed committees at the district level to start agitation against it.”
Mankotia said that it is an injustice that students from a particular community have been selected for the MBBS course in Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical College.
He alleged that Omar Abdullah does not know about Islam.
“In Islam, idol worship is ‘Haram’ (Prohibited) and so is the admission of Muslims to Mata Vaishno Devi medical college ‘Haram’ as the money to run this college comes from Hindu devotees,” he said.
Reacting to the statement, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said, “If you don’t want Muslims to study at the college, you should change the statute of the university.”
He said that these 42 Muslim students and probably one Sikh student have been admitted to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence on merit.
“If you don’t want them to study there, then change the status of the university to a minority institute. Those students who got admitted on merit will seek admission elsewhere. But remember that admissions to medical colleges are done based on NEET and entrance exams and not based on religion,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that if you segregate and isolate the Muslims based on religion, then don’t blame them tomorrow for joining colleges like the one in Faridabad, where radicalisation took place.
“Be warned that by denying admissions based on religion, you are pushing the Muslims to the wall. If tomorrow they get radicalised, who will you blame? Will you blame Sunil Sharma(BJP leader)?” Omar asked.
He added that when the bill to establish the SMVDIME was passed in the J&K Assembly, it was never intended to make the medical college a minority institution, but to make it an institution of excellence based on merit.
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