DODA, October 3, 2026 – A major controversy has erupted at the Government Medical College (GMC) in Doda after nursing interns and medical students staged protests over alleged restrictions on wearing burqas inside the hospital’s labour room. The agitation was sparked after students working in the gynecology department submitted a formal written complaint stating that the Head of the Gynecology Department, Dr. Madhu Chib, barred a student from entering the labour room because she was wearing a veil. The protesting students described the incident as harassment and an unwarranted interference in their religious practices, alleging that burqa-clad interns were asked to leave the premises on consecutive days and instructed to wear standard medical aprons instead.
The hospital administration intervened quickly to defuse the situation, clarifying that the directives were not based on religious attire but were strictly aimed at maintaining clinical protocols. Officials emphasized that in high-risk and sensitive clinical environments like labour rooms, maintaining strict hygiene and infection-control protocols is mandatory for both students and doctors. To address the students’ grievances, the Medical Superintendent of GMC Doda immediately ordered a “free and fair” probe into the matter. An eight-member inquiry committee, headed by the Head of the Physiology Department, Dr. Garima Charak, has been constituted and directed to submit a detailed report on the incident within two days.
The incident has swiftly gained political traction across Jammu and Kashmir. Doda MLA Mehraj Malik of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took up the matter directly with Health Minister Sakina Itoo. Meanwhile, ruling National Conference (NC) chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq expressed strong concern, emphasizing that the Constitution guarantees citizens the right to freely practice their religion. “Whether a woman chooses to wear a hijab or not is a matter of her personal choice and autonomy, and no one should impose restrictions on it,” Sadiq stated.
The burqa row also brings renewed focus to a prior conflict between Dr. Chib and MLA Mehraj Malik. Last May, Dr. Chib lodged a police complaint against the MLA for allegedly making abusive remarks on social media, while Malik had accused the doctor of engaging in private practice during official duty hours. As the internal committee begins its probe into the current incident, the debate over balancing clinical hygiene protocols with students’ religious rights continues to dominate discussions in the region.
Published by True Roots Media Network