Tawi Bridge blocked, effigies of Shrine Board & CM torched
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 5: Ever busy main Tawi Bridge remained blocked for over an hour as the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangarsh Samiti today staged a massive protest on Friday against the admission of students from a particular community to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence.
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During the protest, protestors torched effigies of the Shrine Board and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah amid staging a sit-in demonstration on the Tawi Bridge that led to complete disruption of vehicular movement in the area.
The protestors also raised strong slogans against the Shrine Board, the Lieutenant Governor, and the Chief Minister. The protest was led by Colonel Sukhvir Singh Mankotia, convener of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangarsh Samiti.
Addressing the protestors, Colonel Sukhvir Singh Mankotia said that this is not a Hindu-Muslim fight, but the ‘fight for our Aastha (faith)’. He stated that the society must be wary of people who are trying to give this issue a communal colour.
Mankotia pointed out that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board runs on the offerings made by millions of Hindus and therefore, the Shrine Board should use these offerings only for the benefit of those who have faith in Mata Vaishno Devi. “The committee’s agitation will continue until the Shrine Board or the Medical College management reverses its decision,” he said.
Parshottam Dadhichi (Core Committee member of the Sangharsh Samiti and President of Shri Sanatan Dharam Sabha J&K), in his address, warned that Hindus will not tolerate any tampering with their faith under any circumstances. He declared that the struggle will continue until the issue of admitting students from a single community to SMVD Institute of Medical Excellence is resolved. He also demanded that the Shrine Board should clarify who is responsible for the appointment of non-Hindus in its institutions.
Mandeep Singh Chib (Yuva Rajput Sabha), Sardar Baldev Singh (Bar Association), Vijay Dogra (Transport Union), Narayan Singh (Amar Kshatriya Rajput Sabha), Shakti Sharma (VHP), Rajan Singh (‘Happy’), Shilpi Verma (Core Member Sangharsh Samiti), Brigadier Balbir Singh Sambyal and many other dignitaries also expressed their views.
Raj Kumar Gupta (Gau Raksha Samiti), Rajesh Gupta (VHP), Deepak Gupta (Traders Federation, Nehru Market), Abhishek Gupta (VHP), Akshi Billowria, and others were also present during the protest.
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