SRINAGAR, January 16, 2026: Indian authorities have closed a newly established medical college in Indian occupied Kashmir following weeks of protests by right wing Hindu groups objecting to the admission of Muslim students, raising serious concerns about religious discrimination in access to education.
According to reports, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has cancelled the licence of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical Institute, located in the hilly Reasi district near the Pir Panjal range.
The decision came after sustained demonstrations by Hindu groups who opposed the religious composition of the college’s first MBBS batch.
Out of 50 students admitted to the five-year medical programme in November, 42 were Muslims, most of them residents of the Kashmir Valley, while seven were Hindus and one was Sikh.
The college, founded by a Hindu religious charity and funded by the government, had launched its first-ever MBBS batch this year.
Following the admissions, Hindu right-wing groups staged daily protests outside the campus, arguing that Muslims should not benefit from institutions linked to the Mata Vaishno Devi Temple, one of the most prominent Hindu shrines in the region.
Protesters demanded that Muslim students be excluded, chanting slogans and blocking access to the institute for weeks.
Adding to the pressure, several lawmakers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reportedly petitioned the Lieutenant Governor of occupied Kashmir, calling for admissions to be restricted exclusively to Hindu students.
Amid the unrest, the National Medical Commission announced on January 6 that the college failed to meet minimum educational standards.
The NMC cited severe shortages of teaching staff, hospital beds, outpatient services, library facilities, and operating theatres. A day later, the formal permission allowing the institute to operate was also withdrawn.
Chief Minister of occupied Kashmir Omar Abdullah has alleged that the BJP and its allied Hindu groups were actively involved in the campaign against Muslim admissions, describing the episode as politically motivated.
The closure has sparked widespread criticism, with observers warning that the move sets a troubling precedent for religious discrimination in higher education in the region.
