‘Dangerous precedent’: Mehbooba Mufti on cancellation of MBBS course at J&K’s Mata Vaishno Devi varsity

Former J&K chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Friday (January 9, 2026) said the cancellation of MBBS course at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence, where 42 Muslims qualified out of 50 seats last year, is a “a dangerous precedent”.

“Fringe and communal forces in Jammu affiliated with the BJP, RSS, and Bajrang Dal influenced the decision (to withdraw the MBBS course). We are encouraging a mindset by succumbing to such pressure. They will employ similar tactics elsewhere under the notion that these are Muslims and from Kashmir and push them out,” Ms. Mufti said.

Ms. Mufti was referring to the National Medical Council’s decision to withdraw the MBBS course from the varsity, in the wake of protests by BJP and Hindu groups against the admission of 42 Muslim students in the 50-seat medical college. 

“It’s a politically motivated decision, a tactic and a dangerous precedent that could be replicated against minorities across India. When education is politicized in the name of religion, and the youth of J&K find no place even in their own territory, how can they feel secure in Haryana, Punjab, or other states?” Ms. Mufti said.

She also expressed concern over the rumours regarding granting Statehood to Jammu. “Dividing J&K on religious lines or granting separate Statehood to Jammu would undermine the Muslim-majority region’s decision to join India and revive the two-nation theory that its people rejected,” Ms. Mufti said.

Meanwhile, she described West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as a “tigress”.

“The normalization of aggressive central interventions, from Enforcement Directorate raids to the revocation of Article 370 has been passively accepted by national political parties. Only Mamata Banerjee is fighting. She is a champion who can stand up to the BJP. The rest have chosen silence, even enjoying the torment of Jammu and Kashmir,” Ms. Mufti said.

She was referring to ED raids on the office of political consultancy firm I PAC and the residence of its director Pratik Jain in Kolkata. “Such actions by the ED and other investigative agencies have long been a reality in J&K and are now being witnessed across the country. What was normalised in J&K, the whole country is tasting it now,” Ms. Mufti said.

She also recalled the raids and detentions of three former chief ministers in J&K in 2019, ahead of the revocation of the special status. “Majority of political parties then maintained silence. The same methods are being applied across the country now,” she added.