Omar Abdullah’s aide submits resolution in Assembly against NMC’s decision to withdraw nod to Jammu medical college

SRINAGAR: National Conference (NC) legislator and party chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq has submitted a resolution in the J&K Legislative Assembly, seeking a review of recent decision of the National Medical Council (NMC) to withdraw permission to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) to run MBBS course.

According to party sources, Sadiq’s private member’s resolution urges the central government and the NMC to reconsider the move, stating that no educational institution should be denied approval on the basis of the religion of its students.

NC insiders said the resolution seeks to convey the sense of the House and raises concerns over the NMC’s decision to withdraw permission within four months of granting approval for the MBBS course to the SMVDIME. It calls for a fair assessment of the whole issue, stating the SMVDIME was established to meet the healthcare and medical education needs of Jammu and Kashmir and was developed with substantial public funding and infrastructure support.

The governing party expects the resolution to be passed by a majority vote.

Sadiq is a close aide of CM Omar Abdullah and has previously served as his political adviser. He is also known as his marathon-running companion.

The Assembly’s 27-day session is due to begin on Feb 2 with the Lieutenant Governor’s address to the House.

On Jan 6, the NMC withdrew permission for the college to admit 50 MBBS students for the 2025–26 academic year, the institute’s first batch, citing major deficiencies in faculty, clinical material and infrastructure. The council said students admitted during counselling for 2025–26 would be accommodated in other government medical colleges of the UT.

CM Abdullah strongly reacted to the decision. On Jan 7, he said that while people across the country agitate and struggle to get a medical college in their area, a medical college in Jammu was shut down after protests on religious grounds. He described the decision as unprecedented and deeply troubling.

The controversy erupted in November last year after the college admitted students strictly on the basis of NEET merit. Of the 50 seats, 42 were allotted to Muslim students, mostly from Kashmir, along with one Sikh candidate, while eight Hindu students from Jammu were selected.

This triggered protests by the Jammu-based Sangharsh Samiti, a coalition of around 60 religious and civil society groups, supported by the Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal. The groups argued that an institution funded by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board should give preference to Hindu students and those who have faith in Mata Vaishno Devi.

The BJP also sided with the protesters. BJP’s Sunil Sharma submitted a memorandum to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who heads the shrine board, seeking a review of the admission policy and arguing that “astha” on Shri Mata Vaishno Devi should be a criteria for admission to a college run on donations of Hindus.