The first batch of medical students admitted to Mata Vaishno Devi Medical College was largely composed of Muslim students.
The college was allotted 50 MBBS seats, but only eight Hindu students took admission.
According to officials, no additional Hindu candidates opted for the college after qualifying NEET. As a result, the remaining 42 seats were filled by Muslim students after the newly established institution completed the counselling process for the MBBS course for the 2025-26 academic year.
The admissions triggered a major uproar in Jammu, with several Hindu groups threatening agitation. The BJP quickly joined the protest and demanded that the admission process be rescinded.
Several social, political, religious, and trade bodies in Jammu later formed a joint front-the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangarsh Samiti-which demanded a rollback of the admissions of Muslim students.
On Tuesday evening, the National Medical Commission (NMC) revoked the college's recognition by withdrawing its Letter of Permission on the grounds of non-compliance with minimum standards.
The BJP welcomed the move, terming the withdrawal of the Letter of Permission as a case of "quality over quantity."
"Quality over quantity. NMC has revoked permission for 50 MBBS seats at SMVDIME due to failure to meet essential standards. It reaffirms commitment to quality. Every affected student will be seamlessly transferred to supernumerary seats in other UT colleges," said BJP MLA R S Pathania.
Earlier, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said students no longer felt safe at the college due to the politicisation of the admission of Muslim students. He urged the Centre to shut down the college and adjust students in other institutions.
"We don't need this college. It's not worth being a medical college. Shut down this college and we will arrange education for these students in other colleges," Abdullah said.
In its order, the NMC said it had immediately withdrawn permission to run the MBBS course at SMVD Medical College "after finding serious lapses in minimum standards."
The BJP had also submitted a memorandum to the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor, seeking rescinding of the admissions of Muslim students. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha is the chairman of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, which runs the university and the medical college.
Even as the college followed National Medical Commission guidelines on admissions strictly based on the NEET merit list, Hindu groups maintained that only Hindu students should be admitted to the institution.
Official sources said the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence is not a minority institution and that admissions were conducted strictly as per guidelines.
Following the admissions controversy and the NMC decision, Jammu and Kashmir has lost a medical college. The total number of medical colleges in the Union Territory has now come down to 12. Except for one, all other medical colleges are government-run institutions.
According to the NMC directive, the affected students will be adjusted in other medical colleges across Jammu and Kashmir.
