New Delhi, June 26 (IANS) A Kashmiri doctor was allegedly forced to forgo a prestigious super-speciality seat at a Tamil Nadu hospital after being asked to shave his beard, triggering outrage and a call for intervention from the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association.

Dr. Zubair Ahmad, a practicing Muslim from Kashmir, had secured a DrNB (Nephrology) seat at Kovai Medical Centre and Hospital (KMCH), Coimbatore, through NEET-SS second counselling conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS).

Upon reporting for admission, he was allegedly told to shave his beard to comply with hospital dress code norms.

National Convenor of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association Nasir Khuehami said that the hospital was unequivocal in its demand that Dr. Zubair shave or trim his beard in order to enroll.

“He was categorically asked to shave or trim his beard to be permitted to study at the super-speciality hospital,” the association’s letter stated.

The J&K Students Association has written to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, terming the incident as “religious discrimination” and a violation of Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion.

“The hospital’s insistence on a so-called ‘clean-shaven, corporate appearance’ is neither essential to medical education nor aligned with patient care, ethics, or hygiene, the core pillars of the medical profession,” the association argued.

Khuehami added, “Such appearance-based restrictions are not only unnecessary but are also discriminatory and exclusionary. The lack of prior disclosure and the imposition of this requirement after seat allotment is unjust and violates both the spirit and the letter of the Constitution.”

The letter further pointed out that had this beard policy been transparently disclosed during the counselling process, Dr. Zubair would not have opted for the institute.

“With no alternative left, Dr. Zubair 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”, it said.

The Association urged CM Stalin to take urgent steps to ensure that religious freedoms are protected across educational and healthcare institutions in Tamil Nadu.

“We request your intervention to discourage discriminatory institutional policies that infringe upon constitutional rights and to help restore the confidence of students and professionals who look up to Tamil Nadu as a beacon of progress, tolerance, and justice,” the letter stated.

–IANS

sas/rad