New Delhi: Barely a year after its launch, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence has been drawn into a controversy over its admission process. Protests erupted in Jammu after 42 Muslim students from Kashmir were admitted to the institute’s 50-seat MBBS programme in its inaugural 2025-26 batch.
The remaining seven seats went to Hindu students, and one to a Sikh student.
The protesters are demanding that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, chaired by Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha, cancel the maiden admission list. During their demonstration on 28 December outside the Lok Bhawan in Jammu, the protestors also burned effigies of Sinha.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called the protest unwarranted, saying that when the bill to establish Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University was passed, it was not mentioned anywhere that those belonging to one particular community would be kept out of it.
“It was said that admission to the university would be done solely on merit, not on religion,” he said. “The word ‘secularism’ continues to be a part of our constitution. If you don’t want to keep this country secular, then remove this word from the Constitution.”
How it all started
The J&K Board of Professional Entrance Examinations released the list of 50 candidates for Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence’s (SMVDIME) first batch in November; the high number of Muslim candidates in the list sparked discontent among the Hindus.
The admissions were based on the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test – Undergraduate (NEET-UG) merit list.
The SMVDIME was established as a medical college in Katra in 2024. It is affiliated with the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University and managed by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.
The institute also provides clinical training at the attached 467-bed National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers-accredited (NABH) Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Superspeciality Hospital. The hospital was launched in 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
When 50 MBBS seats were sanctioned to the college in September, Sinha expressed gratitude on X.
“Grateful to Honourable PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji and Honourable Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Shri J P Nadda Ji for sanctioning 50 MBBS seats for the newly established Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME),” he wrote.
Grateful to Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji and Hon’ble Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Shri J.P. Nadda Ji for sanctioning 50 MBBS seats for newly established Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME).
— Office of LG J&K (@OfficeOfLGJandK) September 8, 2025
“When these seats were sanctioned, the people of Jammu were happy that they would finally have representation in their own Vaishno Devi college. But that didn’t last long,” a protester told ThePrint on the condition of anonymity.
Also Read: Pitched as ‘educational revolution’ in 2022, why the ‘MBBS in Hindi’ initiative has seen few takers
What are the demands
The protests are largely led by Hindu residents, spearheaded by the J&K Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti — a conglomerate of nearly 60 pro Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and/or Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) groups. The protesters are demanding the withdrawal of the admission list and are also seeking reservation of seats in the college for Hindu students.
The Sangarsh Samiti said that there were discrepancies in the admission process. “There was no advertising, so many students from Jammu were unaware. Only Kashmiri students knew about the admission process,” said Colonel (Retd) Sukhvir Mankotia, convener of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangarsh Samiti.
Mankotia and his Samiti have also demanded the closure of the college, urging the government to shift it to a different location. “Vaishno Devi is a religious place, and we are concerned about the differences in religious practices. We don’t want a medical college in Katra, and we think it should be opened elsewhere, keeping the sanctity of the temple in mind,” Mankotia added.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)
Foreigners in their own land, that is the plight of Hindus in Bharata, sadly.
Good to see awareness and action on the ground.
In Europe and the USA, Hindus are being hounded and harassed like hell – now we know why.