For the past several days, the future of students of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence was in limbo, as the protest flared by the Hindutva group over the admission of 44 Muslim students in the batch of 50.
Following this, the National Medical Commission (NMC) on January 6, earlier this month, revoked the recognition of the institute, stating that the college had failed to “meet the minimum standard requirements” specified by the government for medical education.
The NMC said that the college suffered from significant deficiencies in teaching faculty, bed occupancy, libraries, and operating theaters. However, several students claimed that the college was too well occupied to be run as a medical college.
Amidst this, the “letter of permission,” which is imperative to run the college, was withdrawn.
“We never imagined that the Letter of Permission would be withdrawn. When the protests were underway, we believed that at least our batch would be allowed to continue and that any changes would apply to admissions from next year,” Baikis Manzoor said while talking to FoEJ Media.
The apprehension of the students snowballed when the Jammu and Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (JKBOPEE), citing procedural constraints, said that it cannot accommodate these students elsewhere.
In the letter, JKBOPEE stated, “We have no authority to hold another round of counselling. The responsibility now lies with the government to create supernumerary seats in other medical colleges.”
JKBOPEE further said that, as per the MCC directions, the data of 1,410 MBBS candidates, which includes the 50 students from SMVDIME, has been uploaded on the MCC portal, and the creation and allotment of supernumerary seats does not fall within its remit.
“The fresh allocation of supernumerary seats to the candidates, who were earlier allotted SMVDIME by JKBOPEE, be made at the Government level in consultation with the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the respective medical colleges in the Union Territory,” it said.
Reacting to JKBOPEE’s clarification, Peoples Conference chairman and MLA Sajjad Gani Lone said, “This is unbelievable. The heartlessness of the government in washing its hands of the 50 students of the ‘once upon a time’ Vaishno Devi medical college.”
“The government, in its typical style, has shifted the blame elsewhere. These students are now academically stranded and now at the mercy of God knows who,” Lone posted on X.
“‘Short of being dead, it is the final, unsurpassable stage of irresponsibility,’ wrote George Orwell. That is the bloody state of this government,” he added.
On the controversy surrounding Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Medical College, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said, “I don’t understand why this is happening. When the Assembly passed the bill to establish Mata Vaishno Devi University, nowhere was it stated that students of a particular religion would be excluded. It was clearly mentioned that admissions would be based on merit, not religion. Now, when admission decisions are being made purely on merit, some people are unhappy…”
Later, following the NMC’s derecognition of the medical college, he assured alternative placement for the affected students in nearby government medical colleges.
“It is our legal responsibility to accommodate them. We will adjust them by creating supernumerary seats in colleges close to their homes so that their education does not suffer,” he said.
Providing major relief to the 50 affected students, the Jammu and Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Examinations has announced January 24 as the date for fresh counselling to adjust them in seven government-run medical colleges in the Union Territory.
“Our counselling is done, we have allotted colleges, and we have taken a breath of relief,” a student said, talking to FoEJ Media.
“The entire thing was very depressing; we have seen a significant medical failure, and we will take time to overcome this,” they added.
