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| Image: The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi college in Jammu |
The withdrawal of accreditation for the MBBS course at a government medical college located in India’s Jammu and Kashmir region has sparked intense nationwide controversy. Allegations have emerged that the decision was taken under pressure from Hindutva extremist groups because the college had a high number of Muslim students.
According to reports, of the 50 students admitted to the first MBBS batch at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in Katra, 44 were Muslim. After this information became public, several Hindutva terrorist organizations launched protests against the college authorities.
Indian media reports state that around 60 groups—led by a Hindutva terrorist organization called “Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti,” and including RSS- and BJP-affiliated terrorist groups—carried out continuous demonstrations demanding the cancellation of Muslim students’ admissions.
Subsequently, the National Medical Commission (NMC) announced the withdrawal of permission to run the MBBS course, citing deficiencies in infrastructure, an inadequate number of faculty members, and a lack of clinical facilities. However, critics argue that although these administrative reasons were presented, the real decision was driven by political and communal pressure.
Critics further claim that the regulator’s swift action after the students’ religious identities became known has raised serious questions.
A section of human rights activists and academics has described the decision as unconstitutional and discriminatory, arguing that the religious composition of students cannot be a valid ground for withdrawing accreditation.
This incident has once again raised concerns about communal interference in India’s education system, minority rights, and the independence of regulatory bodies. However, neither the central government nor the concerned authorities have issued a detailed response so far.