Srinagar, Nov. 27 -- Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence was envisioned as a sanctuary of healing and learning, a place where the devotion of millions of pilgrims could be transformed into tangible service for society. Today, however, it stands at the centre of a storm that threatens to reduce its mission to a contest of identity. The recent MBBS admissions, where a majority of seats were secured by students purely on merit, have triggered demands that the institution reserve places for the candidates of a particular because it is funded by offerings at a shrine of that particular religion. The debate, though emotionally charged, risks undermining the very principles on which higher education rests.

Medical education i...