The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association on Thursday, June 26, has written to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, seeking his intervention in an alleged religious discrimination against a Muslim doctor from Kashmir at a private hospital in Coimbatore city.
A 31-year-old doctor from Sri Nagar in Kashmir was allotted a Dr NB (Nephrology) seat at a private medical college hospital in Coimbatore through the NEET-SS second counselling round conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS).
He was allegedly asked to shave his beard and he was reportedly asked to sign a policy document that prohibited sporting a beard, a condition he said contradicted his religious obligations as a practising Muslim.
Despite offering to cover his beard with a surgical mask and agreeing to comply with all hygiene protocols and institutional dress codes, the hospital administration allegedly refused to accommodate him. He was categorically asked to shave his beard to be permitted to study at the super-speciality hospital," said in the letter.
He has completed his MBBS, MD, and senior residency at a medical institute in Srinagar without encountering any such restriction.
"If it was disclosed during the counselling process, he would not have opted for the institute. With no alternative left, he was compelled to withdraw from the programme, despite having secured the seat on an all-India merit basis. He has since requested NBEMS to allow his participation in the third round of counselling and to refund his Rs 2 lakh security deposit submitted during the admission process," the letter said.
The association further condemned the incident as a clear violation of Article 25 of the Constitution of India, which guarantees the right to religious freedom.
"Such appearance-based restrictions are not only unnecessary but are also discriminatory and exclusionary. Tamil Nadu has long welcomed students and professionals from across India, including the Kashmir Valley. This incident threatens to tarnish that proud legacy and sends a disturbing message to students from marginalized and minority backgrounds," said Nasir Khuehanmi, National Convenor of the association.
The association further urged CM MK Stalin to take urgent steps to ensure that religious freedoms are protected across educational and healthcare institutions in Tamil Nadu. The student, who did not want to be named, told The New Indian Express that he approached the college for admission on June 17, and then he was asked to remove his beard.
Fearing the mental agony, he returned to Sri Nagar. "They said it was the hospital policy. However, I went there for studies through counselling and not for a job interview. As I felt it would not be possible to continue the studies with this mental pressure, I returned to my native," he said.,
