India has shut down a medical college in Indian-administered Kashmir following protests by right-wing Hindu groups over the admission of a large number of Muslim students into its first batch. Students who meet the minimum qualifying threshold but fall short of public college cut-offs typically enrol in private institutions. However, several students told Al Jazeera they did not observe any major shortcomings. Salim Manzoor,* another student, noted that in Muslim-majority Kashmir there are medical colleges where Hindu students are enrolled under minority quotas. “I appeared for a competitive exam, which is one of the hardest in India, and was able to get a seat at a medical college,” she said.

Source: Dhaka Tribune January 15, 2026 09:47 UTC