Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said that proposals to exclude Muslim students from admission to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) go against the principles on which the institution was established.
Speaking to reporters in Jammu, Omar emphasized that students who qualify through NEET have earned their seats and cannot be denied admission based on religion.
He stated that if any group or political leader wanted the college to admit students exclusively from a particular community, the institution should have been granted minority status at the time of its establishment.
“When this medical college was set up, if the intention was to keep Muslim students out, its status should have been declared accordingly,” Omar Abdullah said, as per KNS.
He emphasized that students seek education and professional training, and religion should not affect their right to study in any institution. “When children attend a college named after Mata Vaishno Devi, they are going there to learn and become doctors,” he added.
Referring to recent remarks by BJP leader Sunil Sharma, Omar warned that exclusionary approaches could create social distance and later lead to blame being placed on the affected communities.
“If students are pushed away and later accused of being alienated or influenced, responsibility must be acknowledged,” he said.
He further noted that if the college is formally granted minority status, Muslim students may seek opportunities elsewhere, including abroad. “If the status is changed, they will get chances in other places, even in Bangladesh or Turkey, but they should not be blamed later,” Omar said.
