A protest by nursing interns over alleged restrictions on wearing burqas inside the Gynae Department’s labour room at Government Medical College and Hospital, Doda, has prompted the hospital administration to set up a seven-member panel.

Trouble erupted on Wednesday when scores of nursing interns held a demonstration inside the hospital premises against Dr Madhu Chib, head of the gynaecology department at Doda Medical College, alleging that she had objected to their wearing of the burqa.

Protesters boycotted work and gathered outside the hospital building. One protester said that a day earlier, Dr Chib had moved a student out of the labour room because she was wearing a veil. Dr Chib has not commented on the allegation.

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“On Thursday, we saw two students made to stand outside the labour room on the same grounds,” she said, describing it as interference in their religious matters.

The protest was called off after the hospital administration intervened and Dr Chib clarified that her objection to the burqa was confined to ensuring hygiene compliance in sensitive areas such as labour rooms and operation theatres. The hospital management also set up a panel to look into the circumstances leading to the protest.

Dr Irfan Tassaduq, the in-charge medical superintendent of Doda GMC Hospital, confirmed the development and attributed the protest to a “miscommunication”. “She [the doctor] had asked them to tighten their loose gears and wear a gown (apparel) over them according to the protocol in the labour room and operation theatre,” he said. “In such sensitive areas, where the risk of infection to patients runs high, even doctors have to observe these protocols.”

The protest has drawn reactions from political leaders. While Doda MLA Mehraj Malik took up the matter with Health Minister Sakina Itoo, ruling National Conference chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq expressed concern, saying that the Constitution of India guarantees citizens the right to freely practise 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 said.

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This is not the first time Dr Chib has been involved in a public controversy. She had previously lodged a police complaint against Aam Aadmi Party MLA Malik in May last year, alleging that he had made abusive and gendered remarks against her on social media. Malik, who has criticised the functioning of hospitals in Doda and raised the issue in the J&K Assembly, had denied the allegations and accused the doctor of engaging in private practice at a local nursing home during official duty hours.