Tensions flared at the Government Medical College Hospital in Doda, Jammu and Kashmir, on October 1 as female medical students gathered to stage a vocal demonstration over the right to wear a hijab. The protesting students assembled inside the hospital premises, raising slogans against a faculty member and demanding accountability for alleged mistreatment. The unfolding demonstration brought the students face to face with local law enforcement personnel, leading to an intense exchange that was widely captured and shared across social platforms.
Allegations of Longstanding Harassment by Gynecology Professor
The demonstrating students directed serious allegations against Dr. Madhu Chhib, a professor in the gynecology department, claiming that she had been subjecting them to persistent harassment regarding their head coverings. According to the students, this intimidation over wearing the hijab had been continuing for several years, with repeated instructions issued warning them against keeping their heads covered. One protesting student stated that the doctor allegedly pulled at her hijab during an encounter and explicitly ordered her never to appear in front of her while wearing one again.
Police Station Head Intervenes Against Sloganeering on Premises
As the agitation grew louder and students began chanting religious slogans inside the hospital halls, the local Station House Officer intervened directly to defuse the situation and maintain decorum. The police officer firmly admonished the crowd, stating that medical facilities exist to serve everyone and cannot be dominated by specific religious demonstrations. Emphasizing the nature of the facility, the officer reminded the gathering that the location is a public hospital rather than an Islamic institution, stressing that creating a disturbance in an active healthcare environment is inappropriate.
Administrative Order Urged Amid Escalating Campus Tensions
Addressing the students directly, the officer asserted that administrative protections and legal recourse exist if anyone unfairly targets them for their attire, promising that genuine grievances could be heard separately. However, he warned that using the underlying grievance as justification to breach public order or disrupt hospital functioning would not be tolerated. He urged the students to respect the institutional boundaries of a hospital setting while pursuing their complaints through appropriate channels. The confrontation highlighted growing friction within the medical college, prompting calls for formal scrutiny into the events that triggered the hospital protest.
