Outrageous! This Campus Closed Due to Too Many Muslim Students

In a surprising move, medical authorities in India revoked the operational licence of a renowned medical campus in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday (15/1/2026). This action has sparked widespread controversy due to strong suspicions that the government yielded to pressure from Hindu right-wing groups questioning the high proportion of Muslim students at the institution.

The revocation of accreditation for the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical Institute (SMVDMI) by the National Medical Commission (NMC) was officially carried out in early 2026. Although located in the mountainous Reasi region and established by a Hindu charitable foundation with government funding, this private campus must now cease operations amid accusations of discrimination.

Tensions arose when the composition of the first batch of MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) students was revealed to the public. Out of the total 50 students who passed the rigorous national entrance exam (NEET), 42 were Muslim, seven Hindu, and one Sikh. Most of these students hailed from the Kashmir region, which has a Muslim-majority population.

Hindu right-wing groups quickly launched large-scale protests at the campus gates. They argued that since the campus was built with donations from devotees of the Mata Vaishno Devi Temple, Muslim students had no right to study there.

“This campus bears the name Mata Vaishno Devi, and millions of devotees have strong religious ties to this temple,” said BJP spokesperson in Kashmir, Altaf Thakur, attempting to explain the sentiments of the public while also claiming that the closure was due to technical issues.

Shortly after the protests peaked, the NMC announced the revocation of the permit, citing that SMVDMI failed to meet the government’s “minimum standards,” including shortages of teaching staff, patient beds, and library facilities. However, this claim has been strongly refuted by the students who had already begun their studies.

Jahan, one of the students, stated that the campus facilities were actually superior to those of other medical colleges.

“I don’t feel this campus lacks resources. We have four cadavers per batch for practice, while other campuses sometimes have only one. Every student gets the opportunity for independent surgery,” he told Al Jazeera.

Political analyst from Jammu, Zafar Choudhary, also questioned the NMC’s logic.

“Logically, infrastructure should improve after classes start. We don’t know why these shortages suddenly emerged after the identity protests,” he said.

For students like Saniya Jan (18), the closure is a nightmare. She admitted to studying extremely hard to pass the highly competitive NEET exam before being accepted at SMVDMI. Now, she is forced to return home with uncertainty about her future.

“Everything feels shattered now. All this happened just because of our identity. They turned our achievements into a religious issue,” Saniya lamented in disappointment.

In response to the crisis, the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, condemned the actions of the groups forcing the campus closure. He promised that the regional government would take responsibility for transferring the 50 students to other medical campuses in the area to ensure their education continues uninterrupted.

“People usually struggle to establish medical colleges, but here, the struggle is to close one. You have toyed with the students’ futures,” Abdullah stated firmly.