Claim: India shut down a medical college in Kashmir because Muslim students secured most of the admissions.
Conclusion: The claim is misleading. The National Medical Commission (NMC) ordered the closure of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence due to serious infrastructure deficiencies and repeated regulatory non-compliance. However, there were other political issues and protests since the college was funded by a Hindu charity.
Rating : Misleading 
Several social media users have claimed that India has shut down a medical college in Kashmir. Al Jazeera English posted on X on January 15, 2026, claiming “India shuts Kashmir medical college – after Muslims earned most admissions,” linking to an article suggesting the closure of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) was due to protests over Muslim-majority admissions. The post implies link between the religious composition of students and the shutdown. View the post below –
India shuts Kashmir medical college – after Muslims earned most admissions https://t.co/iTjWRPOowj pic.twitter.com/DCV6TsuYfW
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 15, 2026
Another user shared similar clam here:
🚨 India shuts Kashmir medical college – after Muslims earned most admissions.#india #pakistan #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/pfNsQjWeOL
— The Core Briefing (@Corebriefing) January 15, 2026
FACT CHECK
DigitEYE India decided to investigate this claim and found that it is misleading. The National Medical Commission directed the shutdown of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence after identifying major gaps in infrastructure, complaints and persistent failure to meet mandatory regulatory standards. However, there were other political issues and protests since the college was funded by a Hindu charity.
We first conducted a web search with the phrase “Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence closure” to learn more about this claim. According to a report by the Times of India, the college is located in Reasi district, Jammu division. The report mentions how “42 Muslim students, seven Hindu students and one Sikh” were admitted through NEET examination. Furthermore, there were protests by Hindu groups demanding either the expulsion of non-Hindu candidates or the closure of the college” View a section from below –
As per a report by Al Jazeera, BJP’s spokesman in Kashmir, Altaf Thakur, had told the channel, “The college recognition was withdrawn because NMC found several shortcomings. There’s no question of the issue being about Hindus and Muslims.” The reports also states that the Hindu groups “argued that since the college was chiefly funded from the offerings of devotees at Mata Vaishno Devi Temple” and therefore, so many Muslim candidates were not acceptable.
According to several reports including one by the Indian Express, NMC found “a 39 per cent deficiency in teaching faculty and a 65 per cent shortfall in tutors, demonstrators, and senior residents when measured against Schedule II norms.” Moreover, Clinical performance was also well below norms, with outpatient attendance under 50 per cent, bed occupancy at just 45 per cent against the mandated 80 per cent, and ICU utilisation hovering around 50 per cent.
Other reasons as mentioned in the Indian Express report include major infrastructure shortfalls, missing practical and research labs, substandard lecture theatres, severely under-resourced libraries, inadequacy of key hospital facilities such as an ART centre, MDR-TB services, sufficient operating theatres and separate male and female wards. View a section from the report below –
J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah questioned accountability, asking, “If you had set up a medical college, why did it not pass the (National Medical Commission) inspection?” He also criticised celebrations over the closure, saying, “What is this happiness about?” and added, “If destroying children’s future gives you happiness, then burst firecrackers.” The BJP has denied holding any celebrations and said that the “commission took the decision after it found deficiencies in infrastructure.”
Hence the claim is misleading.
