Perched in the Trikuta Hills, the Vaishno Devi shrine embodies India’s syncretic heritage, a place where devotion has long transcended communal lines. Millions from diverse backgrounds climb its steep paths each year, a testament to shared cultural life. This inclusive legacy stands in sharp contrast to the tensions surrounding the inaugural admissions at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME).
In November 2025, the first MBBS list showed that 42 of 50 admitted students were Muslims, a merit-driven outcome that triggered protests by right-wing groups and BJP leaders, who claimed Hindu donor funds were being used to educate ‘outsiders,’ despite all candidates being J&K domiciles. A moment that could have been collective pride – local students excelling in a national exam – was reframed as a communal grievance.
The unrest reflects deeper anxieties in Jammu and Kashmir’s educational landscape. Thousands of students continue to seek affordable MBBS degrees abroad – in Bangladesh, China, Russia, and elsewhere – while the November 2025 ‘white-collar terror module’ rhetoric and the subsequent scrutiny of foreign-trained Kashmiri doctors have intensified worries.
The SMVDIME row must therefore be read within the wider context of access, meritocracy and the pressures facing Kashmiri youth. Communalising medical education, whether by contesting merit at home or profiling legitimate graduates returning from abroad, weakens democratic stability and undermines the region’s urgent developmental needs.
The SMVDIME Admissions: Facts Before Fury
Under the 1988 Shrine Board Act, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) manages one of India’s largest pilgrimage economies, with revenues touching ₹171.90 crore in 2024–25. Its welfare spending– hospitals, schools, accommodation, infrastructure– has long served all residents of J&K, and SMVDIME was envisioned in that same universalist spirit. The college follows National Medical Commission rules: NEET-UG–based admissions with an 85% domicile quota, consistent with the region’s demographic profile.
However, the inaugural 2025 MBBS list admitted 42 Muslim, 7 Hindu and 1 Sikh student purely on merit. Protests erupted across Reasi, Katra and neighbouring districts, led by groups such as the VHP and Bajrang Dal, with several BJP leaders alleging misuse of Hindu donor funds and demanding that SMVDIME be declared a “Hindu minority institution.” By late November, these protests converged into the Sangharsh Samiti in Jammu, which announced sit-ins and boycott calls, further framing a routine merit list as an identity dispute.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and leaders of the NC, PDP and JKPC defended the list, stressing that SMVDIME is a public statutory institution and cannot legally introduce religion-based quotas. The controversy, they noted, reflected political mobilisation rather than any procedural lapse.
What the Protests Revealand What They Don’t
The unrest draws on two broad anxieties: a belief that Hindu donors have been treated unfairly, and a claim that Hindus in J&K deserve special minority protections. Both concerns warrant acknowledgement, but falter under scrutiny.
Are Donor Expectations Being Violated? Some donors may hope their contributions benefit their own community, but once funds enter a statutory public institution, the Constitution, not sentiment, governs their use. Articles 14 and 15 mandate equality and non-discrimination. The Shrine Board’s resources have always supported public welfare – hospitals, schools, and infrastructure serving all residents – and SMVDIME follows that universalist mandate. Legal experts stress that the real issue is public policy, not donor preference; focusing on sentiment obscures the fact that the admissions process complied fully with statutory norms.
Are Hindus a ‘Minority’ in Need of Reservations?Though Hindus are numerically smaller in J&K, minority-rights jurisprudence is determined by the character of an institution, not regional demographics. The Shrine Board is a statutory body, not a private religious trust, and therefore cannot be designated a minority institution. Even hypothetically, religion-based quotas cannot exceed 50%. In an 85% domicile pool within a Muslim-majority region, a higher proportion of Muslim toppers reflects demographic merit, not discrimination.
The Political Angle: Nationally, the BJP champions uniform laws and merit-based access; at SMVDIME, however, sections of the party demand religious preference. Political observers note that the agitation appears driven less by procedural fairness and more by electoral anxieties in Jammu, where debates on identity, migration, and post-Article 370 shifts remain potent.
Why Merit Matters, Especially in Medicine: Introducing communal filters into medical admissions erodes a field built on universality. When students are judged by faith rather than competence, public health weakens, trust erodes, and the purpose of medical education is compromised.
Why So Many Leave India for MBBS
NEET Competition and Seat Scarcity: Over 20 lakh students compete annually for roughly 1 lakh government MBBS seats. Many J&K students, even those with strong scores, are locked out due to limited local seats.
Affordability: Bangladesh offers MBBS programmes at ₹20–40 lakh– far cheaper than Indian private colleges (₹50 lakh+) or Western universities (₹1 crore+). This appeals to middle-class families already navigating J&K’s economic instability.
Recognition and Quality: Bangladeshi colleges follow curricula aligned with NMC standards; graduates can practise in India after clearing FMGE. FMGE success rates for medical graduates from Bangladesh are significantly higher, averaging 45-50%, compared to those from China at around 25-30%. Institutions like Dhaka Medical College and Enam Medical College enjoy strong reputations.
Proximity and Cultural Comfort: Bangladesh’s linguistic (language medium is English), cultural, and dietary familiarity makes it easier for Kashmiri youth. Travel is short; families can visit.
Transparent Admissions: No capitation fees. Direct merit-based entry based on NEET scores.As of 2025, over 10,000 Indian students are enrolled in Bangladesh, with hundreds from J&K.
The Security Scrutiny: A Parallel Row
In November 2025, days after the SMVDIME protests erupted, another controversy struck: Indian security agencies initiated sweeping background checks on Kashmiri MBBS graduates who had studied in Bangladesh or Pakistan. The trigger was the bust of a ‘white-collar terror module,’ which included professionals allegedly radicalised into planning vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) attacks. Although no direct link to J&K’s Bangladesh-educated graduates was established, agencies initiated audits of travel records, contacts, and employment histories across several states.
Implications and Fears:
- Parents worry that blanket suspicions may harm job prospects or FMGE processing.
- Student groups argue this conflates legitimate educational mobility with security risk, deepening alienation.
- Concerned citizens warn that profiling undermines India’s stated goal of mainstreaming Kashmiri youth.
The scrutiny coincides with the SMVDIME row, creating an atmosphere where Kashmiri medical aspirations, whether pursued at home or abroad, are increasingly politicised or viewed through a communal lens.
Why Educational Access Is Central to Peace and Progress
The Region’s Long Road to Recovery: J&K’s past three decades have been defined by insurgency, counterinsurgency, prolonged curfews, and economic stagnation. Youth unemployment exceeds 20%, one of the highest in India. Healthcare deficits remain acute: the doctor-patient ratio is far below the national average (1:3,900 vs national 1:834).
In such an environment, accessible medical education is not merely an academic issue; it is a democratic and developmental imperative.
Education as Social Healing: Merit-based institutions like SMVDIME can play a transformative role. They offer:
- local opportunity,
- economic mobility,
- reduced alienation, and
- civic integration.
Just as the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage embodies shared belonging, an inclusive medical college can symbolise shared development.
Why Religious Filters Threaten Stability: Demanding religious quotas in a public medical college entrenches division. Profiling returning doctors from Bangladesh risks alienating the very youth that democratic India seeks to empower. Both trends weaken federalism, constitutional equality, and the long-term peace J&K desperately needs.
A Local Flashpoint with National Consequences
The SMVDIME dispute echoes a broader national struggle over whether India’s public institutions will remain governed by constitutional neutrality or bend to majoritarian pressures. If communal demands reshape the functioning of even one medical college, they could ripple outward, threatening merit-based governance across sectors. Similarly, conflating foreign medical education with radicalisation risks creating an environment where opportunity itself becomes suspect.
A democracy is strongest when it trusts its citizens and strengthens institutions, not when it doubts its own youth.
Towards an Inclusive, Merit-Based Future for J&K
The future of J&K hinges on choices made today. A medical college built with public funds should open its doors based on competence, not communal identity, and young doctors returning from Bangladesh must be judged by their skills, not collective suspicion. Supporting J&K’s youth, whether at SMVDIME or abroad, is a meaningful tribute to India’s pluralistic traditions and the Shrine Board’s legacy of universal service. Rejecting communal politics and profiling is not merely moral; it is practical, for it builds trust, fosters stability, and anchors the region’s democratic recovery.
Merit, mobility, and dignity must remain the guiding principles of a secular republic. And nowhere is this more urgent than in the mountains and valleys of Jammu & Kashmir. In a region struggling to regain normalcy, merit is not merely a metric; it’s a social stabiliser.