Takes out protest march in Jammu city
JAMMU: Right-wing Hindutva groups took out a march here on Saturday to press for the shifting of Muslim students from the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) and reserving the seats in the institute for Hindus.
The protesters assembled under the banner of the Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Sangharsh Samiti (SMVSS), a recently-formed conglomeration of several organisations, at the Raghunath temple at the heart of the city and took out the march towards Indira Chowk, an official said.
They raised slogans in support of their demand and later, dispersed peacefully.
“We have sounded the bugle by offering prayers at this historic temple and will submit a memorandum to the government through the divisional commissioner to resolve the issue amicably by shifting the Muslim students, keeping in mind the sentiment of the Hindus, and reserving all seats for students from the community,” a spokesperson of the samiti said.
Built on a 34-acre land owned by the SMVD Shrine Board, the institute was allowed by the National Medical Commission (NMC) on September 8 to open admissions for 50 MBBS seats for the 2025-26 academic session.
Forty-two Muslim, a Sikh and seven Hindu students qualified in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for the 50 sanctioned MBBS seats in the college.
The samiti was formed on November 22 by right-wing Hindutva groups, who questioned the process and demanded “minority institution” status for the newly-established institute.
“We want the central government to take note of our protest and resolve the issue in a peaceful manner,” the spokesperson of the organisation said, threatening to intensify the agitation in the coming days if their demand is not met.
In the wake of the ongoing controversy, legal experts and medical education observers pointed out that admission procedures for MBBS seats in India—whether in government, private, deemed or trust-run institutions—are governed by the National Medical Commission (NMC) and must strictly follow NEET-based merit lists. As per NMC regulations, private medical colleges are allowed autonomy in fee structures and management quotas, but they are still required to follow reservation norms notified by the respective state or Union territory unless they are granted officially recognised minority status.
The SMVDIME controversy has also brought attention to the rules surrounding minority institutions. Under current law, institutions seeking minority status must satisfy criteria laid down under Article 30 of the Constitution and relevant judicial precedents. The newly established college, however, has not been granted such status, raising questions among critics about whether its admissions could legally exclude or prioritise particular communities.
