India Closes Medical College in Kashmir Amid Controversy Over Admissions

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A medical college in Indian-administered Kashmir has been shut down by the National Medical Commission (NMC) following protests from Hindu groups over the admission of Muslim students. The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical Institute (SMVDMI), located in Reasi, had launched its first five-year bachelor’s in medicine program in November with 50 students, including 42 Muslims and seven Hindus.

The college was founded by a Hindu religious charity and partly funded by the government. Admissions to medical colleges across India are governed by a centralized entrance examination, the National Entrance Examination Test (NEET), conducted by the federal Ministry of Education’s National Testing Agency (NTA).

According to the NMC, SMVDMI failed to meet minimum standard requirements for medical education, citing deficiencies in its teaching faculty, bed occupancy, patient flow in outpatient departments, libraries, and operating theatres. The college had initially accepted students who met a minimum threshold set by the NTA.

Protests began after local Hindu groups discovered that Muslim students made up an overwhelming majority of the inaugural batch. Demonstrators claimed that since the college was funded by donations from devotees at Mata Vaishno Devi Temple, a prominent Hindu shrine in Kashmir, Muslim students had no business being there. Legislators from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also wrote petitions to the lieutenant governor of Kashmir, urging him to reserve admissions for Hindu students.

The protests escalated, with demonstrators gathering outside the college gates and raising slogans. The NMC announced on January 6 that it had revoked the college’s recognition due to these deficiencies. A “letter of permission” was issued the following day, allowing the college to function temporarily. However, this decision appears to be a compromise, as the college has since shut down its operations.

Source: Al Jazeera