The Indian government has closed a medical college in Kashmir after right-wing Hindu groups protested the high number of Muslim students admitted. According to Al Jazeera, the National Medical Commission (NMC) on January 6 revoked the accreditation of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical Institute in Reasi district, Jammu division. The college’s first MBBS batch, launched in November last year, had 50 students—42 of them Muslim, seven Hindu, and one Sikh. The institution was founded by a Hindu religious trust and partially funded by the government.

The protests began when news spread that most of the admitted students were Muslim. Hindu organizations demanded the cancellation of their admissions, arguing that the college was funded by donations from devotees of the Vaishno Devi temple. The agitation continued for weeks, with daily demonstrations outside the college gates. Several lawmakers from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party also urged the Kashmir Lieutenant Governor to restrict admissions to Hindu students only.

The NMC cited faculty shortages, low hospital bed usage, and inadequate facilities as reasons for the withdrawal of approval. Critics described the closure as a capitulation to hardline Hindu groups.