Jammu: In a display of growing communal bias in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), several Hindu right-wing organizations under the banner of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti (SMVSS) staged a protest in Jammu, demanding the removal of Muslim students from the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) in Reasi and reserving all seats exclusively for Hindu candidates.

According to reporter, hundreds of protesters held a sit-in at Tawi Bridge, raising slogans against the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. The protest, led by SMVSS convener Sukhbir Singh Mankotia, came after the admission of 42 Muslim, one Sikh, and seven Hindu students to the 50 sanctioned MBBS seats for the 2025-26 academic session, all selected through the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

Addressing the protesters, Mankotia described the agitation as a 'religious struggle,' arguing that the shrine board, funded by offerings from lakhs of Hindus, should allocate resources exclusively to followers of Hinduism. 'This money should be spent on institutions and centres related to the Hindu religion. Until this happens, the Samiti will continue its movement against the Shrine Board,' he warned.

The SMVSS, a coalition of Hindu groups, has previously led sustained campaigns against Muslim students' admissions at the Reasi medical college. Similar demonstrations have been organized in Jammu and surrounding areas by Hindutva-affiliated organizations, including the BJP, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal, Shiv Sena, and Dogra Front, reflecting a persistent pattern of communal pressure targeting Muslim students.