'Merit, Not Religion Decides Selection': Hindu Academics Defend Muslim Students' Admission At Jammu Medical College
Noted academics defended the admission of Muslim candidates at the medical college saying it was done as per regulations and not religion.
By ETV Bharat Jammu & Kashmir Team
Published : December 2, 2025 at 7:25 PM IST
By Mohd Ashraf Ganie
Jammu: The ongoing controversy over MBBS admissions in the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) here took a new turn on Tuesday when prominent Hindu academics of Jammu came forward and supported the university administration, saying that the admissions were made entirely on the basis of merit and NEET, and not on the basis of religion.
Bimala Sharma, a 69-year-old retired Zonal Education Officer and recipient of the National Best Teacher Award by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam in 2003, said that she regretted that students were being divided on religious grounds. She said that it was completely unfair that the future of NEET qualified students was being “sacrificed in a political and religious dispute”.
“The students have got admission on merit and they have every right to study,” Sharma said. She accused the BJP of dividing students on religious grounds and termed the current protest as wrong, saying that it was against the career of the students and it should be stopped immediately.
Likewise, retired Principal Government Degree College Parade Dr. Himla Agarwal, while talking to ETV Bharat over phone, said that the admissions were done completely as per the rules, NEET and government regulations. Agarwal said that the students should be allowed to go to classes and their future should not be ruined.
Meanwhile, Kashmiri Hindu social activist and national spokesperson of the National Congress Party, Engineer Rishi Kaul, said that division on the basis of religion in education was unacceptable. He said that it was wrong to give political colour to admissions in educational institutions. “Education should not have any connection with religion and it is highly inappropriate to give this issue a political or religious colour,” he said.
The Congress too accused the BJP of trying to give a communal colour to the situation “to cover up its failures”. JKPCC Chief Spokesperson Ravinder Sharma, while talking to ETV Bharat, said that the administration and the BJP government at the Centre were responsible for the dispute. “When there was no illegality in the allotment of seats, then why was the issue of religion raised?”
He said that the BJP should apologize to the people “for its mistakes and failures instead of spoiling the atmosphere through hatred and politics”.
Last week, a delegation led by BJP leader Sunil Sharma met Governor Manoj Sinha and demanded seats only for Hindu students in the university. The delegation said that most of the students were from a specific community and the university was a religious institution.
Meanwhile, today too, Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad along with the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sanghsh Samiti (SMVSS) staged a protest in Katra and declared the medical college a “minority institution” and demanded cancellation of the admission list. The convener of the Samiti, Sukhvir Mankotia, said that the institution was “running on donations from Hindu pilgrims, so only Hindu students should get admission here”.
Bajrang Dal President Rakesh Bajrangi said, “When certain classes can get reservation in government-run Aligarh Muslim University, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University and Guru Nanak Dev University, why not 90% reservation for Hindu students in Mata Vaishno Devi Medical College?”
“For the first time, 50 MBBS seats were approved for the year 2025–26, out of which 42 Muslim, 1 Sikh and 7 Hindu students were selected, after which this controversy started,” he added.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has also warned against politicising the admissions at the Jammu medical college. The CM last week launched a veiled attack on the BJP over giving a religious colour to the issue.
J&K BJP Delegation Meets Union Health Minister
Amid the escalating controversy around admission of Muslim students in Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME), a delegation of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders led by its Jammu and Kashmir President Sat Sharma on Tuesday met union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda in New Delhi and asked for his intervention to review the admission process.
BJP members of Parliament Jugal Kishore, Ghulam Ali Khatana and few Members of Legislative Assembly from Jammu and Kashmir were also part of this delegation.
In a statement issued here, a BJP spokesman said that the delegation conveyed to the Union Health Minister the deep resentment brewing among devotees and civil society groups over the composition of the first batch of 50 MBBS seats.
"They said that 42 out of the 50 seats have been allotted to non-Hindu candidates, a development that has triggered strong reactions among devotees of Mata Vaishno Devi and among those who have contributed financially to the shrine. The delegation informed the Minister that various social and religious organizations have begun holding protests, expressing dissatisfaction and demanding transparency and corrective measures in the admission process," the spokesman said.
He added that the delegation cautioned that if the issue is not addressed promptly, a large-scale agitation could emerge in the coming days, potentially disturbing the peaceful environment of the region.
"While the BJP respects the merit-based and constitutional framework of medical admissions, it is equally important to acknowledge the sentiments of millions of devotees associated with the shrine," the spokesman said, while quoting the delegation.
The BJP leaders urged the Union Health Minister to understand the gravity of the situation and intervene appropriately so that a solution can be found that respects the emotional connect devotees have with SMVD institution and appealed for a thorough review of the admission process, greater transparency, and consideration of mechanisms that ensure devotees feel represented and reassured.
The BJP spokesman said that J. P. Nadda gave the delegation a patient hearing and assured them that the matter would be examined with due seriousness. "He assured that the Ministry would look into all aspects of the issue and take appropriate steps to address the concerns raised, while ensuring compliance with national medical education norms," he added.
The Jammu and Kashmir BJP leaders expressed confidence that the union government will take timely action to ensure a fair and acceptable resolution, the spokesman said.
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