Jammu: Medical Commission withdraws MBBS permission to SMVDIME college amid Hindu body protests

Srinagar: The Medical Assessment and Rating Board of the National Medical Commission has withdrawn the Letter of Permission granted to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in Reasi of Jammu for running the MBBS course with 50 seats for the academic year 2025-26.

This was the first batch of students selected for the course in this college through NEET examination. However, since the results were announced in which over 46 students selected for the course were muslims, Hindu organizations started protests in Jammu demanding that these admissions should be revoked.

Sangharsh Samiti leading the protests alleged "religious bias" in the admission of non-Hindu students. They had sought the intervention of BJP leaders and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. The BJP leaders led by Leader of the Opposition in J&K Assembly Sunil Sharma had met J&K LG, Union Health Minister J P Nadda and other BJP leaders in Delhi demanding action on this issue.


The NMC's decision to revoke the permission was confirmed by a BJP MLA, RS Pathania, who on his X profile informed that NMC has revoked permission for 50 MBBS seats at SMVDIME "due to a failure to meet essential standards." "It reaffirms commitment to Quality .
Every affected student will be seamlessly transferred to a Supernumerary Seat in other UT Colleges," Pathania wrote on X.

During the protests that continued for several weeks, Hindu organisations had demanded that being the institution of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, majority of the admissions should go to Hindu students and that the "shrine funds are being misused."

To this Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had said that the BJP should have granted minority status to this institution.

"Admissions are made solely based on NEET and other entrance tests. Religion is not considered. Now, if you want Muslims not to study there, then declare it a minority institute, and the Muslim and Sikh children enrolled there will leave and seek admission elsewhere," Abdullah was quoted as saying. On January 6, when Sangharsh Samiti was again protesting in Jammu, Abdullah reiterated that students got admission on merit.

"If I am their parent, I would not have sent them there out of fear. By all means, the Union Ministry of Health should shift them to some other Medical College of ours so that they can continue their education," Abdullah told reporters.

The NMC officials had conducted an inspection of the college on January 2, in the wake of multiple complaints filed during the protests regarding deficiencies at the SMVDIME college. The NMC decision on January 6 was announced following this inspection that reportedly found the college "inadequate" to run the course this year.