The fate of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME), whereby the National Medical Commission (NMC) had reportedly revoked the recognition of this ‘prestigious’ institution in Jammu citing serious lapses in minimum standards after various political and social organizations protested the admission criteria and staged demonstrations, should be taken as a lesson by the people of J&K. Going by the outcome of politicization of the aforesaid issue, it becomes imperative not to give impulsive response to the issue of establishment of National Law University (NLU) in Jammu and Kashmir because the Union Territory cannot afford another setback akin to SMVDIME.
As many entities have started protesting against the proposal to set-up the NLU in Kashmir Valley demanding that the same should be established in Jammu, the chances of a confrontation between the two regions seem to become inevitable. In this context, several law students of Jammu University were briefly detained after they blocked Tawi Bridge in support of their demand to set up a National Law University in Jammu.
Although they have the right to demand the NLU for Jammu region and even stage a demonstration, that should not disrupt life in the city. The first and foremost thing which they should ensure before spearheading this campaign is that they are not being used by any political entity to satiate its vested interests. It would have been much better that the student leaders who led the group for blocking the roads should have first called on the ministers of Jammu region and submitted their demand because ultimately dialogue is the only way out to resolve any issue or crisis, which seems to be missing in this case as the students have been swayed to go to the extreme level without going for any kind of talks.
As the people leading the government in J&K off and on boasts of working towards carrying out all round development, the students of Jammu region can cite this point while demanding the NLU in Jammu region because there are many places in Jammu Province lagging in having prestigious educational institutions like Poonch, Doda, Udhampur, Samba, etc. It is advisable for the entities coming on roads to seek NLU in Jammu to come prepared with the logic and figures in support of their demand and take into confidence the local leadership sitting at helm to represent them before the government because their demand is genuine and reflects aspirations of the people of this region.
One never knows that by convincing the helmsmen through the right channel and right way, J&K can have two National Law Universities, one for Jammu and another for the Valley. All said and done, coming on roads and staging Dharnas should be the last resort for raising the demand because still there is time to handle the issue pragmatically and with the right perspective.
