Overview
- Senior J&K BJP leaders met J.P. Nadda in New Delhi, urging a review of SMVDIME’s first MBBS intake and greater transparency, and said he assured a thorough examination.
- The inaugural 50-seat list at the shrine-run Katra institute includes 42 Muslim, 1 Sikh and 7 Hindu candidates selected through NEET.
- Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti and allied groups escalated demonstrations, demanding minority status for the college and revision of the list, while alleging misuse of devotees’ donations.
- The BJP earlier submitted a memorandum to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha seeking to restrict admissions to Hindu students and requesting possible National Medical Commission oversight.
- Former chief minister Omar Abdullah criticized calls to limit admissions by religion, saying merit should prevail and any minority status should have been set at the institution’s inception; the Shrine Board has not issued a formal response.