NEW DELHI: Former Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader and Rashtriya Bajrang Dal national president Praveen Togadia on Saturday demanded that all 50 MBBS seats at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in Jammu and Kashmir be reserved for Hindu students, warning of an intensified agitation if the demand is not met.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a Rashtriya Bajrang Dal programme in Shakti Nagar, Togadia claimed that donations made by Hindus should not be used for the education of Muslim doctors. He urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to intervene and resolve the issue, failing which, he said, he would escalate the protest.
“I would like the Lieutenant Governor to address this issue; otherwise, I will myself find a way,” Togadia said, adding that he would not tolerate what he termed “injustice” to the Jammu region. He also claimed that the Prime Minister may not be aware of the matter.
Togadia, who is on a six-day tour of the Jammu region beginning from Kathua, alleged that the admission pattern at the medical college was unfair. Admissions for the inaugural MBBS batch of 50 students at the Reasi-based institute were completed last month through NEET counselling. The selected candidates include 42 Muslim students, mostly from Kashmir, seven Hindu students from Jammu, and one Sikh student.
Officials, however, have maintained that admissions were carried out strictly in accordance with existing laws, merit, and reservation norms, rejecting allegations of irregularities.
Pressing his demand further, Togadia called upon the Lieutenant Governor to cancel the admission list immediately. He warned that if no action is taken, he would appeal to devotees to refrain from donating money at the Vaishno Devi shrine, suggesting symbolic offerings instead.
On a separate issue, Togadia also commented on alleged atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh, urging the Union government to halt the supply of essentials to the neighbouring country. He went on to suggest strong intervention if such incidents continue, drawing parallels with international interventions elsewhere.
He further said his organisation would prepare an action plan against what he described as the illegal settlement of Bangladeshi and Rohingya Muslims in India.
