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BOPEE has reversed its earlier stand and announced counselling on January 24 for 50 MBBS students of SMVDIME, Katra. (File Photo)
A day after the Jammu and Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Examination (BOPEE) said it can’t conduct fresh counselling for the 2025-26 session for the medical students of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME), it did a volte-face, calling them for counselling on January 24 for allotment of colleges.
The students would be adjusted in seven government medical colleges of the union territory – three in the Kashmir valley and four in the Jammu province. While 22 seats are spread across Kashmir colleges, 28 students will be adjusted in Jammu.
The National Medical Commission (NMC) had earlier this month withdrawn the permission it had earlier granted to SMVDIME to conduct an MBBS course in the current academic year. This has left 50 MBBS students who joined the institute without a college. While the NMC cited deficiencies in the college infrastructure and operations, its decision had come against the backdrop of right-wing groups protesting against the course’s demography – of the 50 students, 44 were Muslim, and most were from Kashmir.
“That the Board shall conduct the physical round of counselling to accommodate MBBS students of SMVDIME Katra to the Govt. Medical Colleges within the UT of J&K against the supernumerary seats so created,” the BOPEE said in a fresh notification.
The notification said that the Health and Medical Education department has conveyed the seat matrix of the 50 supernumerary seats. As per the matrix, seven additional seats each have been allotted in four government medical colleges in Jammu province – GMC Udhampur, GMC Kathua, GMC Rajouri and GMC Doda – while seven additional seats each have been allotted in GMC Baramulla and GMC Handwara. Eight have been allotted in GMC Anantnag.
In a communication to the J-K’s Health and Medical Education department dated January 21, BOPEE had said it cannot conduct fresh counselling for the 2025-26 session, and asked the J-K government to admit students to supernumerary seats in other medical colleges “at its own level”.
“The creation and allotment of supernumerary seats doesn’t fall within the ambit of BOPEE,” the communication said.
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However, the change of stand came within hours. In fact, both communications are dated January 21.
The seven government medical colleges that have been allotted the supernumerary seats have been set up in the past seven years. The government has not allotted any supernumerary seats in premier institutes like GMC Srinagar, GMC Jammu or the SKIMS Medical College.
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