Jammu: Barely two months ago, the corridors of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence were alive with the sounds of a new medical college finding its rhythm—students debating case studies, laboratory doors swinging open and shut, and eager hands working with diagnostic equipment for the first time. The campus, with state-of-the-art infrastructure, had drawn faculty from across the country.
Today, it is almost entirely empty.
The National Medical Commission’s (NMC) has now cancelled the Letter of Permission (LoP) granted to the Jammu institute in September 2025. Classes have been suspended and students have begun dispersing—many already back home, others packing up after days of uncertainty.
“They’ve told us we’ll be accommodated in a government medical college, which is a relief,” said Saqib Farooq, a student from Kulgam, as he made travel plans with his batchmates for their return home to Kashmir. “But the facilities here were exceptional. This was a new college with just 50 seats—it wasn’t crowded, everything was new, and we were the first to use it. Now we don’t know when or where we’ll be allotted, and wherever we go, we’ll have to start from scratch.”
The institute is private, run by the Vaishno Devi board, funded by donations to the shrine. Admissions were granted based on NEET rankings, but now there are objections as the majority of students are Muslim.
“For now, only classes have been suspended and students have been asked to leave,” another student, Nadeef from Baramullah said, standing on the sunlit lawn of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University. “There are no orders yet about the faculty or the construction work.”
The LoP had been issued to the college in September 2025 after an inspection conducted in May. Following its withdrawal, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said all 50 MBBS students will be accommodated in government medical colleges, preferably closer to their homes.
“The students have cleared NEET and secured admission on merit. It is our responsibility to ensure that their education is not affected, and they will be accommodated in government medical colleges close to their homes,” the chief minister said.
The stillness on campus is striking. Once-busy corridors echo only with the footsteps of a few faculty members and laboratory assistants. Construction continues on the second floor, where classrooms meant for the next batch were scheduled to open next year. While many students left the campus the day the decision was announced, a few stayed on, hoping for a reversal.
“We couldn’t process it at first,” said Saqib. “We thought the decision might be rolled back. But now even our teachers are saying that won’t happen, so we’re leaving too.”
The NMC’s surprise inspection came after months of protests by Hindu groups opposing the demographic composition of the student intake. Of the 50 seats allotted, 44 had gone to Muslim students. After three students left for private colleges, the next three candidates on the merit list—also Muslim—were admitted, taking the total to 47.
An official from the institute, speaking on condition of anonymity, rejected suggestions of procedural haste. “The college applied for the LoP in December 2024. The inspection happened in May 2025, and permission was granted in September. There was nothing rushed about it.”
In its withdrawal letter, the NMC cited multiple deficiencies, including a 39 per cent shortfall in teaching faculty and a 65 per cent shortage of tutors, demonstrators and senior residents. It also stated that the attached hospital had only two operation theatres.
However, during a visit, ThePrint found eight operational theatres on the premises. Officials also disputed the timing of the inspection. “Nearly half the faculty was on winter leave when the team arrived,” said another official. “We were informed just 15 minutes before the inspection.”
The NMC report further claimed that the library had only 75 books and just two hard-copy journals, and that the hospital lacked separate wards for male and female patients. College authorities contested each of these points.
“We have hundreds of books in the library, 480 physical journals, 392 national e-journals and nearly 9,900 foreign e-journals,” the official said. “There are separate rooms for all indoor patients.”
“The issues flagged are not insurmountable,” the official added. “They could have been fixed.”
Opposition to the college had been spearheaded by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti, comprising more than 60 members from pro-RSS groups, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and pro-BJP organisations. After the LoP was withdrawn, online videos showed VHP members celebrating with firecrackers, dhols and distributing sweets.
“We opposed this college from day one,” said Karthik Sudan, a VHP leader from Jammu and a key protest organiser. “This is Sanatan land. The college was built using offerings made by Hindus at the Vaishno Devi shrine. We want only Hindus in the college. Our voice reached Delhi, and that’s why the NMC acted.”
As students wait to be reassigned and faculty remain in limbo, the future of the institute—and its high-end infrastructure—remains unclear.
“The shrine board will decide the next course of action,” an official said.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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