GMC Baramulla students hold protest against reservation policy

Baramulla, Dec 13: The students of Government Medical College (GMC) Baramulla staged a protest on Friday against the recent amendments to the reservation policy in NEET PG admissions.

The protesting students expressed their deep anguish over the reduction of open merit (OM) seats.

The protesting students criticised the government for slashing the OM quota from 75 per cent, as per SRO 49 of 2018, to just 27 per cent. They also demanded the abolition of Rule 17, which allows double allocation of seats to candidates from reserved categories.

The protesting students were carrying placards with slogans “Justice for OM Doctors,” “Bring Back SRO 49,” and “Abolish Rule 17”.

The aggrieved students said the new policy has jeopardised their careers and deprived deserving candidates of fair opportunities.

A female protester student while stressing for the importance of reinstating SRO 49, said, “It is crucial to restore SRO 49 (2018) to ensure that super-specialty medical courses remain accessible and the interests of J&K’s youth are safeguarded.”

She added, “Under the previous policy, 75 percent of seats in postgraduate medical courses were allocated based on open merit. The new policy is disastrous for the future of medical students in J&K.”

The recent amendments to the Jammu and Kashmir reservation policy have faced multiple legal challenges. The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has scheduled a hearing on the matter for December 27.

A division bench has also ruled that any appointments made under the new policy will be subject to the court's final verdict.

Students and aspirants have been urging the government to review the policy for weeks, stating that the reduction in OM quota disproportionately affects the general category, which comprises about 69 per cent of J&K’s population according to the 2011 census.

The protesters reiterated their demand for an immediate rollback of the revised policy and called on the administration to take steps to ensure fairness in postgraduate admissions.