Indian authorities have shuttered a medical college in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir following protests by Hindu nationalist groups over the enrollment of Muslim students, a development that critics contend underscores deepening sectarian divisions within the nation’s education system.
The National Medical Commission revoked recognition from the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical Institute in Reasi district on January 6, weeks after demonstrations erupted over the religious composition of its inaugural class. Of fifty students admitted to the five year medical program in November, forty two were Muslims predominantly from Kashmir while seven were Hindus and one was a Sikh.
The institute, established by a Hindu religious trust and partially government funded, had launched its first cohort this academic year. Medical admissions throughout India proceed through a centralized entrance examination, with seats allocated based on merit, preferences, and availability through a standardized counseling process.
Among the admitted students was eighteen-year-old Saniya Jan from Baramulla district, who described her enrollment as a “dream come true.” Her father, Gazanfar Ahmad, said the family felt relieved when classes commenced in November, characterizing the campus atmosphere as welcoming and inclusive.
However, shortly after the academic session began, local Hindu organizations mounted protests, contending that Muslim students had “no business” attending an institution funded by devotees of the Mata Vaishno Devi temple, a prominent Hindu pilgrimage site. Demonstrators assembled daily outside campus gates, demanding admission cancellations and ultimately calling for the college’s closure.
Legislators from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party petitioned the region’s federally appointed administrator, urging that admissions be reserved exclusively for Hindu students.
As protests intensified, the commission cited deficiencies in faculty strength, bed occupancy, outpatient flow, libraries, and operating facilities as grounds for withdrawal. Students and parents disputed these claims, asserting the institute was well-equipped and compared favorably with peer institutions.
Political analyst Zafar Choudhary questioned how such shortcomings could materialize after regulatory approval had been granted. “The infrastructure should have improved after classes began. The sudden emergence of deficiencies raises serious questions,” he observed.
Students were subsequently forced to vacate hostels and return home, with some noting that Hindu students study in Kashmir’s medical colleges under reserved quotas.
The BJP has denied that the issue was communal, maintaining that the NMC acted solely on regulatory grounds. Its Kashmir spokesperson Altaf Thakur said the sentiments of devotees attached to the shrine should be respected, but insisted the decision was unrelated to religion.
Last week, IIOJK Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the affected students would not be allowed to suffer due to the regulator’s decision and would be accommodated in other medical colleges through supernumerary seats. He strongly criticised the protests, saying the campaign had “played with the future” of students.
Regional lawmaker Tanvir Sadiq noted that the university housing the medical college had received substantial government funding, making all residents of the region stakeholders. He warned that turning merit-based admissions into a religious issue would have long term consequences.
Nasir Khuehami, head of the Jammu and Kashmir Students’ Association, said the controversy risked communalising education, noting that minority-run institutions elsewhere in India do not exclude students based on faith.
Back home in Baramulla, Saniya said she was uncertain about her future. “I cleared one of the toughest exams in the country and earned my seat on merit,” she said. “Now everything has collapsed. They turned our merit into religion.”
