Closure of medical college wrong, unjust: Farooq Abdullah

Srinagar, Jan 08: National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Thursday said the closure of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir was "wrong" and an "injustice" to the students.

"This is wrong. This is definitely injustice," Abdullah told reporters here.

The former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir said he felt "sad" about "the way our nation is going".

The National Conference (NC) chief was reacting to the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC) withdrawing the letter of recognition granted to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence for non-compliance with minimum standards.

The MARB has said that all students admitted to the college during counselling for the 2025-26 academic year shall be accommodated in the other medical institutions in Jammu and Kashmir as supernumerary seats by the competent authority of the UT administration.

The order followed an agitation by the Sangharsh Samiti, a recently-formed conglomerate of right-wing outfits backed by the BJP, demanding cancellation of admissions to the medical college and seeking reservation of seats exclusively for students professing faith in Mata Vaishno Devi.