Desk Correspondent , Jammu - The newly established medical college at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi (SMVD) in Jammu has had its operational approval revoked by the National Medical Commission (NMC) following a massive local controversy. The row erupted shortly after the merit list for the inaugural batch was released, showing that a significant majority of the seats had been secured by Muslim students. This led to intense protests from several local organizations and political groups in Jammu, who alleged that the admission process was skewed and demanded a review of the criteria used for selection at an institution associated with a major Hindu shrine.

The protests, which paralyzed parts of the region, claimed that the "demographic outcome" of the admissions did not reflect the local population of the Jammu division. In response to the escalating tension, the administration initially paused the admission process before the NMC officially withdrew the "Letter of Intent" (nod) for the college to start its academic session. While the government has officially cited "administrative lapses" and "infrastructure deficiencies" as the technical reasons for losing the nod, the timing has led many to believe the decision was a direct attempt to quell the communal and political unrest surrounding the merit list.

The incident has sparked a heated national debate regarding merit-based admissions versus regional representation. Supporters of the students on the merit list argue that the candidates qualified through a transparent, competitive process and that revoking the college's permission penalizes high-achieving students based on their identity. Meanwhile, the university administration has stated they will work to address the "technical concerns" raised by the NMC to regain approval in the future. For now, the future of the medical college remains in limbo, leaving hundreds of aspiring doctors caught in the middle of a major communal and administrative standoff.