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

On Saturday, December 27, 2025, dozens of protesters gathered outside Lok Bhavan in Jammu and set fire to the statue of Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, demanding cancellation of the MBBS admission list of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in Reasi of Jammu and Kashmir.

The protest, chanting slogans such as “LG go back”, was organized by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti, a recently formed group of various right-wing organisations.

Women activists of JK BJP and several business leaders, including Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Arun Gupta, also participated in the protest.

The protest led to the closure of the main road outside Lok Bhavan, causing traffic gridlock on adjacent roads and inconvenience to commuters for over an hour and a half.

Police personnel were deployed in strong force outside Lok Bhavan to maintain law and order and regulate traffic, and it was a difficult time to push back protesters who tried to enter the complex.

“We will continue our protest until our genuine demands regarding our faith are resolved. We are not against students of any particular religion, we just want seats in medical college to be reserved only for Hindu students,” Samiti convenor Colonel Sukhvir Singh Mankotia told reporters.

He said they held the protest outside Lok Bhavan because the Lt Governor was the chairman of the temple board and it was his responsibility to ensure that the religious sentiments of any community were not hurt.

Mr. Mankotia said the government should close the medical college if there is any problem in allotting seats to Hindu students.

The controversy began after the admissions for the first 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 launched by right-wing Hindu groups and later led to the formation of Sangarsh Samiti, whose leaders held talks with leaders of the central government, including the Lt. Governor and the Union health minister.