MBBS admission controversy at Vaishno Devi Medical College: Protests grow, Congress slams Health Minister Nadda

Jammu: Concerns continue to mount over the admission pattern at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME), after its inaugural MBBS batch reportedly included a disproportionately high number of students from a single community.

The row erupted after SMVDIME, which received approval for 50 MBBS seats this year, admitted 42 students belonging to a particular community in Kashmir in its maiden 2025–26 batch. Several Hindu groups, along with the BJP, have since demanded that the institute be granted "minority institution" status or that the admission list be scrapped.

Medical Dialogues had recently reported that the National Medical Commission (NMC) rejected the proposal received from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME), Katra, seeking to place 100 percent of its MBBS seats under the All India Quota (AIQ) to be filled through the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC).

The institute's request to NMC came amid the ongoing controversy concerning the MBBS admission process at Katra-based Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Institute of Medical Excellence. In the Jammu region, protests were launched against the revelation that 90% of the students admitted to the medical college are Muslim students belonging to Kashmir.

After the J&K Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (JKBOPEE) released a list of 50 candidates for the Vaishnodevi Institute of Medical Excellence, it came to light that among these 50 candidates, 42 hail from the Kashmir region, while eight students hail from Jammu. Already 36 candidates from Kashmir and three candidates from Jammu have taken admission.

BJP Udhampur MLA has supported the protests, backed by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal. They have reasoned that Vaishno Devi Medical College is an institute set up with the donations offered to the Vaishno Devi shrine, and therefore, 'it should not be dominated by the members of the Muslim community'. They have also demanded reservations of the seats at the medical college for Hindus.

The protestors have been demanding to scrap the admission list for the first batch of students. They have also demanded reservations of the seats at the medical college for Hindus. However, since Vaishnodevi Medical College is not classified as a minority institution, it is not possible to reserve these seats for Hindus under the current rules. Under the existing rules, 85% of MBBS seats are reserved for the State quota and 15% for the All-India Quota.

Now, recently, the Congress slammed BJP president JP Nadda, accusing him of failing as the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister to protect the rights and religious sentiments of the Hindu community while granting recognition and permissions to the institute.

Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) Working president Raman Bhalla said that the BJP "owes an explanation and an apology" instead of "vitiating the peaceful atmosphere to hide its own failures".

"The BJP national president JP Nadda, who heads the Union Health and Family Welfare ministry and oversees the management of SMVDSB (Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board) and the institute, is responsible for failing to safeguard the rights and sentiments of the community while granting recognition to SMVDIME. The BJP must explain and apologise instead of rousing religious passions," Bhalla told PTI

Also Read:NMC rejects Vaishno Devi Medical College's request to put 100 percent MBBS seats under AIQ

A memorandum has also been submitted to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, seeking that admissions be limited to Hindu students or placed under the National Medical Commission (NMC).

Bhalla said that the Centre and the Shrine Board management — both under the BJP — should be held accountable for not taking steps earlier to respect the community's religious sensitivities. "Who stopped them from adopting appropriate measures according to law and norms?" he asked.

Ravinder Sharma added that the Congress was not alleging any illegality in the selection process, which appeared to have been conducted according to rules. "Then why give it a communal twist? The authorities responsible — all from the BJP system — failed to safeguard the rights and sentiments of the Hindu community," he said.

The Congress demanded that Nadda take "immediate corrective steps" to honour the community's rights and sentiments "without disturbing peace and communal harmony in the region".

Also Read:Protests erupt over MBBS admissions at Vaishno Devi Medical College

Meanwhile, The Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Sangharsh Samiti (SMVSS), a conglomeration of several organisations, will be holding a protest in Jammu today to press the government to declare Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical College a minority institution and cancel the admission list of the institute.

Built on a 34-acre land parcel owned by the SMVD Shrine Board, the medical institute was allowed by the National Medical Commission on September 8 this year to open admissions for 50 MBBS seats for the 2025–26 academic session.

"The Samiti has drawn up a plan to intensify its movement regarding the issue of the college. The strategy was finalised during a meeting here, chaired by the Sangharsh Samiti convenor, Colonel Sukhbir Singh Mankotia. It was unanimously decided that on Saturday, the Committee and associated organisations will hold a massive protest at Raghunath Chowk in Jammu," the Samiti spokesperson informed PTI.

Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had been criticising the agitation and the protests, saying that merit should be the criterion for admissions rather than students' religious identity.

"Students were seeking medical education and had no objection to the institute's religious affiliation. Now, you want to deny admission on the basis of religion," he had said, warning that excluding meritorious students could have wider social consequences.

Abdullah added that if the intention was to restrict admissions to a particular community, the college should have been granted minority status at the time of its establishment.

Dozens of protests have been held by several organisations — BJP, VHP, Bajrang Dal, Shiv Sena, Samiti, and Dogra Front — in Jammu and other places against the admission of a majority of MBBS seats to Muslim students at the medical college in Reasi district. They have demanded a probe, alleging a conspiracy against the institution.

The decision for admission in the college, located in Katra, was taken by the Jammu and Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Examination (JKBOPEE).

While the session has begun at the college, Chairperson of JKBOPEE, Minu Mahajan, said the board has no mandate to shift students to other medical colleges.