SRINAGAR: A major political row has erupted in Jammu and Kashmir after the BJP demanded that admissions to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) in Reasi be restricted to students who have faith in Mata Vaishno Devi, following the selection of 42 Muslim candidates in the institute’s first admission list.
The demand has drawn sharp condemnation from both ruling and opposition parties, who alleged that the BJP was attempting to “communalise medical sciences.”
The controversy comes against the backdrop of the recent busting of an alleged inter-state “white-collar” militant network involving medical professionals and the Delhi blast.
Senior J&K BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Sunil Sharma said only those who believe in Mata Vaishno Devi should be admitted to the institution. “The devotees who contribute to the shrine for promoting ‘Sanatan, culture and religion’ only should get admission there,” he said.
A BJP delegation led by Sharma met Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, who is chairman of the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, and raised concerns over the SMVDIME admission list.
The BJP took exception to the institute’s first MBBS seat allocation list for the 2025–26 academic year, after 42 Muslim students secured admission to 50 seats on the basis of merit. SMVDIME was sanctioned 50 MBBS seats for the current academic year.
Hindu groups, including the Yuva Rajput Sabha, Rashtriya Bajrang Dal, and Movement Kalki, have echoed the BJP’s demand, insisting that a shrine-funded medical college should prioritise Hindu students.
During his meeting with the Lt Governor, the LoP called for a review of the admission criteria, enhanced transparency, and ensuring that the sentiments of Hindu devotees are taken into account. He said an approach was needed that “acknowledges the expectations of the devotees who support the Shrine Board-managed institutions.”
Political parties have accused the BJP of attempting to communalise public institutions.
Ruling National Conference spokesperson and MLA Tanvir Sadiq warned that linking admissions in medical colleges to religious identity would set a catastrophic precedent.
“If hospitals, schools, universities, and medical colleges start deciding intake on the basis of religion, what kind of country will we become? Tomorrow, will a patient be treated according to their faith? Will merit be pushed aside to satisfy majoritarian demands? This is a recipe for disaster,” he said.
“A shrine-funded institution does not become a religion-based institution. Donations made in devotion cannot be converted into tools of discrimination,” he added.
Former finance minister and J&K Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari said, “How can a reputed institution like SMVDIME discriminate against students because of their religion? And if this logic is applied tomorrow to institutions like Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University (BGSBU) or Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), forcing them to admit only students from one community, what will that do to our social harmony and secular values? Is this really the kind of society we want to build?”
“This mindset mirrors the ideology once pursued by leaders like Jinnah, an ideology that inflicted lasting damage to the subcontinent,” he said.
Peoples Conference chairman and MLA Sajad Lone alleged that the BJP was now experimenting with the concept of “communalising medical sciences.”
“I just hope they understand that there is a proper admission test called NEET. And that is an All India test,” he said, adding that medical science “needs researchers, not religious zealots.”
PDP leader Iltija Mufti said that in “Naya Kashmir,” discrimination against Muslims now extends to education. “The irony being that this anti-Muslim apartheid is being legitimised & carried out in India’s only Muslim majority state with its only Muslim Chief Minister. Shameful,” Iltija posted on X.
