Kashmir CM Criticizes Religious Basis for Medical College Admissions

INDIAN OCCUPIED KASHMIR: Chief Minister of India-occupied Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, on Wednesday criticized the use of religion as a basis for admissions at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence, Kashmiri media reported.

The Kashmir Media Service (KMS) said the institute had been granted 50 MBBS seats for the current academic year, with 42 of them awarded to Muslim students on merit. The decision triggered protests from right-wing Hindu groups and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who argued that Hindu students should be prioritised because the institution is funded through donations to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine.

Speaking at the golden jubilee event of Jamia Ziaul Uloom in Poonch, Abdullah stressed that Constitution Day “should not be reduced to a symbolic observance”.

“Today, Constitution Day is being celebrated. The meaning of Constitution Day is not that we remember the Constitution for an hour … its meaning is that every day of the year, we must keep it alive,” he told the audience, according to the Kashmir Observer.

The report stated that Abdullah highlighted the Indian constitution’s preamble, which provides equal status to all religions, ensures democratic rights for all citizens and guarantees legal protection. He noted a rising tendency to view even educational institutions through a sectarian outlook.

“Today, in one of the medical colleges, it is being said that Muslims and non-Hindus should not study here. If we set aside merit and start making decisions on the basis of religion, then where will the Constitution go?” he was quoted saying about the protests over the admission list.

On Monday, Abdullah said that when the legislation establishing the university was passed, it did not mention excluding any religious community.

“Where was it written?” he asked reporters. “It was said that admissions will be based on merit and not religion. When admission is granted based on merit, then some people don’t like that. If they are not in favour, then they can approach the Supreme Court.”

He emphasised that merit must guide admissions and that selecting students by religion would breach the Indian constitution.

“Will social welfare schemes be handled based on religion?” he asked. “Will ration shops ask about [the customer’s] religion? Will policemen work based on religion?

“Right now, secularism remains a key part of our constitution. If you do not want to keep the nation secular, then remove that from the constitution,” he added. “You (BJP) do what you will, we’ll do what we will.”

Responding to a question, Abdullah repeated, “When students will be granted admission, it will be on merit. Some students will excel, while others will be left behind. It’s nobody’s fault.”

In another press interaction on Tuesday, he said the college should have been designated a “minority institute” at the time of its construction if it intended to admit students from a single religious group.

“Admissions are based on NEET (National Eligibility Entrance Test) and entrance tests, not on religion,” he reiterated. “If you don’t want Muslims to study here, then declare it a minority institute. They’ll get admission elsewhere … they’ll go to Bangladesh or Turkiye.

“But, if you point the finger at Muslims and call them communal, sectarian and don’t tolerate their children, then remember this situation,” he added.

“When children are ready to attend an institution like Mata Vaishno Devi, they are not concerned about the name or where the funding comes from; they want to study and become doctors,” he said. “Now you want them to be denied admission based on their religion.”