Admissions to SMVD medical college stir a controversy

A new controversy has erupted in Jammu and Kashmir after 42 out of 50 MBBS seats at the newly established Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) went to Muslim students in the first-ever admission cycle for the 2025-26 session.

- M Saleem Pandit

The development has sparked strong reactions from the BJP’s J&K unit and several right-wing groups, who are demanding the cancellation of the merit-based list released through the NEET counselling process. The SMVD Medical College, at Kakryal, Katra, run by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and created through a 1999 State Assembly Act, was allotted 50 MBBS seats for its inaugural batch. Of these, 42 seats were secured by Muslim students, seven by Hindu students, and one by a Sikh student.

Although admissions are strictly merit-based and the institute does not have minority status, the outcome has provoked criticism from hardline groups, especially in the aftermath of the recent Delhi suicide blast carried out by a Kashmiri medico.