The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences has declined to hold NEET Super Speciality Exams in Kashmir, citing security concerns, which appears to contradict the government’s claims of normality.

Some associations representing doctors, including the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) and the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the National Medicos Association (NMO), had written to the board requesting a centre in Srinagar for the September 9 and 10 exams.

Around 230 candidates from the Valley are to appear in the exam for entry to courses that follow postgraduate degrees. They will now have to travel to Jammu or other states.

Minu Bajpai, honorary executive director of the board, has replied to the NMO that they had got the matter examined by the department concerned, and Srinagar had failed to meet the security standards.

“It is for your kind information that NEET Super Specialty Entrance Examination is a high-stake examination conducted… on a pan-India basis,” the letter dated August 11 reads.

“Consideration of a test city for holding an examination depends upon a multitude of factors including but not limited to the availability of secure test centres to hold a particular examination. The audit of available test centres in the city of Srinagar has revealed that the required standards of security are not met at the centres available to hold the examination as on date.”

The letter said it was not feasible to conduct the examination “compromising any standards of security applicable”.

The NBEMS has identified examination centres in 36 cities across the country.

Dr Sameer Masoodi, who heads NMO, Jammu and Kashmir, wrote back that “examination conducting boards/ bodies never felt any kind of security threat and (other) examinations were held in the city of Srinagar (in the past)”.

“Their response is absurd. It is just an excuse. So far there is no reply to my second letter. In any way, it is an organ of the government opposing the government here (on the claim that the situation is peaceful),” Masoodi told The Telegraph.

“They have not explained how this place is insecure for the particular exam. Other prestigious examinations like the UPSC and the NEET are held regularly here.”

Calls to Prof. Bajpai’s Delhi office elicited no response.

Dr Muzaffar Amin of the Resident Doctors Association at the Government Medical College, Srinagar, said the board’s reply had surprised them as the same board regularly holds exams for post-graduation courses in Srinagar.

“The reply is beyond our comprehension. After the abrogation of Article 370, we were told things were improving here. The reply is challenging the credibility of (such claims) of the government here,” he said.

“Besides, we are not a state now. We are a Union Territory, which is directly controlled by the Centre.”

Earlier, the FAIMA letter to the board had pointed out that Kashmir’s geographical disparity posed a significant challenge to the local candidates and they would be forced to undertake a long and arduous journey to Jammu.

Srinagar had not been granted any test centre for the NEET Super Speciality Exams last year as well. Although there were demands for a centre in Srinagar last time too, local doctors said the board had for the first time formally replied to their pleas.

In February, a high court judge in Jammu and Kashmir had allowed the transfer of criminal proceedings against former minister Shabir Ahmad Khan from Srinagar to a Jammu court, ordering a “fair and impartial trial” against the accused that “may not be possible at Srinagar”.

His remarks also contradicted claims that Kashmir had found elusive peace.

The situation in Kashmir has been a subject of frequent spats between the Centre and the Opposition.