SMVDIME Admission row explodes

The first MBBS batch at shrine-funded institute sparks protests, exposes systemic faultlines, and revives debate on Hindu minority rights in J&K

- RATTAN SINGH GILL

What should have been a routine academic exercise—the admission of the first MBBS batch at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME)—has snowballed into one of the most emotionally charged controversies in recent years.

With the formation of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti (SMVSS), a consortium of organisations demanding the scrapping of the admission list, anxiety has intensified across Jammu, within SMVDIME, and among the maiden MBBS batch. The controversy has triggered strong reactions from devotees, civil society, and political groups, exposing long-ignored governance flaws within the Shrine Board and inconsistencies in J&K's professional admission framework.