Beard: Tamil Nadu medical institution denies Muslim doctor admission

Coimbatore: A doctor from Kashmir who secured a DrNB (Nephrology) seat at Kovai Medical Centre and Hospital (KMCH) here through NEET-SS counselling was allegedly denied admission because of his beard, Times of India reported.

According to the report, the institution’s administration demanded that the doctor, Dr Zubair Ahmad, shave off his beard, which he refused, saying that he kept it as a religious obligation.

The details of the alleged incident were mentioned in a letter to the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin, by the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, requesting his intervention in the matter of denial of a seat, amounting to religious discrimination.

According to reports, the doctor had offered to cover his beard with a surgical mask and adhere to hygiene protocols, but the hospital insisted that he should appear clean-shaven, which it claimed was part of the dress code.

Following this, the doctor withdrew from the programme and requested the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) to allow him to participate in the next round of counselling and refund of Rs 2 lakh security deposit, it is learnt.

The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association condemned the institution's policy as discriminatory and unconstitutional, citing Article 25, which guarantees religious freedom. The association urged CM Stalin to protect the freedoms in educational and healthcare institutions in line with Tamil Nadu’s legacy of inclusivity and social justice.

Meanwhile, the vice president of KMCH told TOI, claiming that the institution only asked the doctor to trim his beard to maintain grooming norms and not shave it off. He claimed that for all employees, there is a clean-shave policy. He added that they did not deny the doctor admission.