Katra/Jammu, January 11, 2026 – In a move decried as a blatant manifestation of Islamophobia and institutional bias, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has abruptly withdrawn approval for the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) to offer MBBS courses, just weeks after 42 Muslim students – who qualified through the grueling National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) – secured seats in its inaugural batch. The decision, announced on January 7, follows vehement protests by Hindu right-wing groups alleging the admissions undermine the shrine's "Hindu ethos," leaving dozens of aspiring doctors in limbo and igniting a national firestorm over religious discrimination in education.
The controversy erupted in late December 2025 when the first merit list for SMVDIME's 50 MBBS seats was released by the Jammu and Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (JKBOPEE). Of the selected candidates, 42 were Muslims, one a Sikh, and the remaining seven Hindus – a reflection of NEET's merit-driven allocation in a region with a significant Muslim population. Located in the foothills of the sacred Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra, Reasi district – a premier Hindu pilgrimage site drawing over 80 lakh devotees annually – the institute was envisioned as a state-of-the-art facility to address Jammu and Kashmir's acute doctor shortage, with an initial investment of ₹389 crore from the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.
The college, approved by the NMC in September 2025 for the 2025-26 academic year, commenced classes on November 15 with fanfare, including orientations and faculty inductions. However, the merit list's composition triggered immediate backlash from outfits like the Sangharsh Samiti and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) affiliates. Protests erupted outside the shrine's base camp on December 28, with demonstrators – including women in saffron attire – chanting slogans like "Muslim college nahi chalega" (No Muslim college will be allowed) and demanding a "Hindu quota" or outright closure. Sangharsh Samiti convenor Colonel (Retd) Sukhvir Mankotia, a vocal critic, told The New Indian Express that the institute would "remain a source of problem forever" unless shut down, framing the admissions as an "insult to Maa Vaishno Devi's sanctity."
The shrine board, which funds and oversees SMVDIME, initially defended the selections as "purely merit-based," emphasizing NEET's national standardization. Yet, under mounting pressure – including dharnas that disrupted pilgrim traffic and social media campaigns amassing over 5 lakh shares with hashtags like #SaveVaishnoDeviFromConversion – the board urged the NMC to review the approval. In a terse notification dated January 7, the NMC cited "non-compliance with infrastructural norms and inadequate faculty" as grounds for revocation, though critics allege these were pretextual, unearthed only post-protests. The affected students, many from modest backgrounds in the Kashmir Valley, now face de facto expulsion, with their academic futures hanging by a thread. "We toiled through NEET's cut-throat competition, dreaming of healing our communities – not to be branded interlopers in a shrine's shadow," said 19-year-old Ayesha Khan, a topper from Srinagar, her voice cracking during a press huddle in Jammu Friday.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, a vocal National Conference leader, lambasted the episode as "shameful" in a blistering X post viewed over 2 million times. "Shut down the college, shift students elsewhere – but don't punish merit with bigotry. These kids earned their seats; the protesters didn't," he wrote, proposing an immediate transfer of the batch to Government Medical College Jammu. Abdullah's intervention follows a January 6 meeting with affected families, where he pledged legal aid and state scholarships to mitigate the fallout. The J&K Students Association echoed the call, staging a silent march in Srinagar with placards reading "Merit Over Majoritarianism," drawing solidarity from alumni of AIIMS and other premier institutes.
Nationally, the shutdown has galvanized accusations of systemic Islamophobia, with opposition figures and activists drawing parallels to the 2024 revocation of minority status for Aligarh Muslim University's law faculty. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi termed it "fascism in white coats," urging a parliamentary probe into NMC's decision-making. "A country celebrating the shuttering of medical colleges – robbing India of doctors amid a 1:1,500 physician-patient ratio crisis – is doomed to decay," he posted, amplifying the user's sentiment in viral threads. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi filed a PIL in the Supreme Court Saturday, seeking reinstatement and exemplary damages, arguing the move violates Article 30's minority rights and NEET's secular ethos. "This isn't oversight; it's orchestrated erasure of Muslim excellence," Owaisi thundered at a Hyderabad rally.
From the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), reactions have been muted yet celebratory in fringe circles. Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda defended the NMC as an "autonomous body," insisting the revocation was "technical" and unrelated to protests. However, BJP's Jammu unit shared gleeful posts hailing the "reclamation of Vaishno Devi's purity," prompting internal disquiet from moderates like J&K BJP chief Ravinder Raina, who advocated "balanced admissions" without shutdowns. Social media sleuths unearthed videos of BJP workers distributing sweets post-notification, fueling claims of tacit endorsement.
Experts warn of dire repercussions. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) estimates the closure exacerbates J&K's healthcare void, where rural doctor vacancies exceed 40%. "Shutting a 50-seat college mid-cycle isn't reform; it's sabotage of public health," IMA J&K president Dr. Abdul Majid told PTI. Human Rights Watch's South Asia desk labeled it "textbook majoritarianism," urging UN scrutiny under India's ICCPR commitments.
As the 43 Muslim students – joined by seven Hindu peers in solidarity – petition the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Monday for interim relief, Katra's pilgrimage paths, usually abuzz with devotion, now echo with dissent. For these NEET warriors, whose scores eclipsed national averages, the revocation isn't mere administrative folly; it's a gut-punch to aspirations forged in the crucibles of conflict and competition. In a nation grappling with 1.4 billion dreams, the SMVDIME saga underscores a perilous truth: When merit meets prejudice, it's education – and equity – that pays the price.
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