The classical definition of a human person is that they are rational animals. However, the American science fiction author, engineer, and naval officer Robert Anson Heinlein, also known as the "dean of science fiction writers," says, "Man is not a rational animal; he is a rationalising animal." This quote is validated by the recent debacle involving the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME).

It must be for the first time anywhere outside of Sharia-enabled countries that sections of the society have celebrated the effective closing of a medical and educational institution. This is unprecedented and might just be the trailer for India's demise.

The composer AR Rahman, in a recent interview, when asked why he worked for a polarising movie like Chhaava, had said, "... I definitely think people are smarter than that. Do you think people are going to get influenced by movies? They have something called internal conscience which knows what the truth is and what manipulation is." When put in this context, it is assured that intelligence, conscience and truth have long withdrawn from Indian minds.

While the National Medical Commission (NMC) has tried to vindicate itself by citing faculty shortage, inadequate infrastructure, low patient numbers, etc., it is clearly politically motivated, riding on the wave of recent protests by Hindutva goons. How else can the withdrawal of permission for MBBS, received just 4 months ago, be justified?

Of the 50 MBBS seats allotted purely on merit through NEET, 42 were secured by Muslim students—most from Kashmir—while seven went to Hindus and one to a Sikh. This result triggered a sustained campaign arguing that the college was built with donations from Vaishno Devi devotees, and Hindus should predominate in its admissions. The mob conveniently forgets that ?121 crores in grants were given by the Jammu and Kashmir governments over the years.

While a group of nearly 60 pro-RSS and pro-BJP organisations protested, what is extremely disturbing is that the statutory regulatory body bent over backwards under pressure and took heed of their perverse demands and completely discontinued the course.

Such actions do not align with the promise of the new Kashmir made when Article 370 was abrogated, or was it something else the BJP pledged to? The NMC decision and the government's inaction in the face of such blatant injustice do not bode well for Mr Modi's assurances. Instead of standing up for a public institution vital to the region's development, both the government and, to some extent, even the opposition allowed matters to slide into crisis.

It is horrifying to think that closing down a medical college was considered an acceptable outcome. It is a policy failure of the highest degree and must be contested and corrected without delay.