verdict on thousands of Kashmiri students studying medicine abroad
There are moments when something appearing on social media is so disturbing that one is left wondering whether we have lost our sense of proportion, responsibility and humanity.
Recently, a social-media video making sweeping and deeply derogatory insinuations about young women from Jammu & Kashmir who pursue MBBS and other professional education abroad reportedly crossed 2.3 lakh views. The content, as described by several doctors and former students in their responses, appears to have taken alleged individual incidents and presented them in a manner capable of creating suspicion about an entire category of young women.
As someone who has been associated with educational counselling and MBBS admissions for more than three decades, and who has personally travelled with students to different countries where I have facilitated admissions, I cannot remain silent.
This is not about defending wrongdoing.
It is about defending truth, proportion and the dignity of thousands of innocent students.
One incident is an incident—not a community
Let us begin with something very simple.
If an individual student anywhere in the world is involved in an immoral, unethical or illegal act, that individual should be held responsible for that act.
If there is credible evidence of criminal conduct, the appropriate authorities should investigate it.
But how does the alleged conduct of one person become the character certificate of thousands of young women?
It does not.
A student studying in Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Russia, China or any other foreign country does not surrender her dignity, morality or family values merely because she crossed an international border to pursue education.
Nor does the country in which she studies determine her character.
There are good people and bad people everywhere.
There are responsible students and irresponsible students everywhere.
There are exceptional cases in every profession, every institution, every city and every society.
The existence of a few exceptions does not give anyone the moral right to condemn the overwhelming majority.
That basic distinction appears to have been completely lost in the social-media frenzy.
I have seen the other side of this story
I say this not as a casual observer.
I have spent years counselling students seeking MBBS admission abroad. I have interacted with their parents, accompanied students, visited institutions and travelled to countries where Kashmiri students study.
I have seen their lives away from the cameras.
I have seen students struggling with language barriers, unfamiliar food, different climates, demanding academic schedules and homesickness.
I have seen young women concentrating on lectures, practicals, examinations, clinical training and their professional future.
I have seen parents make enormous financial sacrifices to educate their children.
I have seen students return home after years of hard work with degrees in their hands and dreams in their eyes.
And, most importantly, I have seen the overwhelming majority trying to protect the trust their families have placed in them.
In my professional experience, the overwhelming majority of students I have encountered are responsible, disciplined and conscious of their family values.
I would therefore strongly reject any attempt to portray Kashmiri women studying abroad as a morally suspect population.
If someone wants to make such a sweeping accusation, the burden of proof should be correspondingly enormous.
More than 99.99%?
I have personally witnessed such a high proportion of students maintaining their dignity and values that I can confidently say that, in my experience, more than 99.99% of the students I have dealt with have been innocent of the kind of conduct being insinuated.
That figure, however, should be understood as a statement of my professional experience—not as a scientifically conducted statistical survey.
And that distinction itself is important.
If we object to sensationalism, we must not answer sensationalism with another unsupported statistic.
The real point is stronger:
There is absolutely no credible basis for collectively branding thousands of young women because of allegations concerning a handful of individuals.
The most dangerous weapon today is not a gun—it is a viral generalisation
Social media has changed the economics of information.
A responsible piece of journalism may require research, verification, documentation and multiple sources.
A sensational allegation requires only a camera, a microphone and an audience.
The more shocking the allegation, the more likely people are to watch it.
The more people watch it, the more followers may arrive.
The more followers arrive, the greater the commercial value of the page may become.
And somewhere in this cycle, truth can become the first casualty.
That is why society must ask a very uncomfortable question:
Is the objective to expose wrongdoing—or to manufacture outrage?
There is an enormous difference between the two.
If someone genuinely possesses evidence of criminal activity, let that evidence be placed before the competent authorities.
If someone has witnessed a specific offence, identify the circumstances responsibly and allow investigation.
But if an alleged incident is transformed into a sweeping narrative about “girls studying abroad”, “female doctors”, “Bangladeshi MBBS graduates” or “Kashmiri women”, then the discussion has moved away from accountability and towards collective character assassination.
The Delhi argument also deserves facts, not assumptions
One particular claim discussed in the responses concerns female students allegedly making deliberate overnight stays in Delhi after returning from Bangladesh.
Several doctors who themselves spent six or more years in Bangladesh have publicly challenged this narrative and explained that travel arrangements can require passengers travelling towards Kashmir to remain in Delhi because of flight schedules and connectivity.
Whether any individual traveller stayed at any particular place on any particular occasion is a matter that can only be established through evidence.
But that is precisely the point.
Travel logistics cannot automatically be converted into evidence of immoral conduct.
An overnight stay in a city does not establish what a person did there.
A hotel booking does not establish an illicit relationship.
A photograph does not establish a sexual relationship.
An acquaintance does not establish an affair.
An allegation does not establish guilt.
And a viral video certainly does not constitute a court judgment.
The doctors who spent years in Bangladesh are speaking
What makes this matter particularly significant is that some women doctors who themselves spent six or seven years in Bangladesh have publicly rejected the narrative.
Their testimony deserves to be heard.
They are not speaking theoretically.
They lived there.
They studied there.
They travelled there.
They interacted with fellow students.
They know the environment that outsiders are now describing through sensational stories.
One doctor stated that during her entire six-year stay she had never witnessed the kind of widespread conduct being portrayed.
Another challenged the suggestion that female students deliberately stayed outside the airport for immoral purposes and explained the practical difficulties surrounding onward travel to Kashmir.
Their accounts do not prove that misconduct can never occur.
Nothing can prove that.
But they demonstrate why responsible people should be extremely cautious before accepting a sweeping social-media narrative as established truth.
Let us not pretend that misconduct does not exist
There is another important point.
Defending innocent students does not mean claiming that every student everywhere is perfect.
Of course misconduct can occur.
Students are human beings.
They make mistakes.
Some may make poor choices.
Some may violate rules.
Some may enter unhealthy relationships.
Some may even commit crimes.
But the correct response is to identify the individual conduct and deal with it appropriately.
Do not turn an individual failure into a collective indictment.
If one doctor commits malpractice, we do not declare every doctor incompetent.
If one teacher behaves improperly, we do not declare every teacher immoral.
If one businessman commits fraud, we do not declare every businessman a cheat.
If one politician is corrupt, we do not declare every citizen corrupt.
Then why should the alleged behaviour of one or a few female students become a moral verdict upon thousands of women?
The parents are victims too
Behind every foreign medical student there is usually a family.
A father who has worked for years.
A mother who has prayed for her daughter’s future.
Parents who have sold property, borrowed money, exhausted savings or made enormous sacrifices to educate their child.
And then imagine that after six years of study, when that daughter finally returns home as a doctor, a stranger on social media casually creates suspicion about her character.
Who bears the consequences?
Not the influencer.
The student does.
Her parents do.
Her siblings do.
Her future marriage prospects may be affected.
Her professional reputation may be affected.
Her mental peace may be affected.
Her entire family may be forced to answer questions that they should never have been required to answer.
A few minutes of viral entertainment can therefore create years of social consequences for an innocent family.
That is not a trivial matter.
There is a difference between exposing a crime and destroying reputations
If a content creator has genuine evidence of wrongdoing, I would actually encourage responsible disclosure.
Bring the evidence.
Name the specific allegation where legally appropriate.
Identify what is verified and what is merely alleged.
Approach the authorities.
Allow investigation.
Allow the accused an opportunity to respond.
Let the law determine guilt.
But please do not manufacture a morality story around an entire generation of women.
Freedom of expression is precious.
But freedom of expression should not become freedom from consequences.
Criticism is legitimate.
Investigation is legitimate.
Questioning is legitimate.
Exposing genuine wrongdoing is legitimate.
But reckless generalisation, fabricated claims and deliberate character assassination are entirely different matters.
The real question: what are we teaching our young people?
We repeatedly complain that today’s generation is losing values.
But what values are we ourselves demonstrating?
Are we teaching young people that truth matters?
Or are we teaching them that the most outrageous story wins?
Are we teaching them to respect women?
Or are we teaching them that a woman’s reputation is legitimate entertainment?
Are we teaching them to verify information?
Or are we teaching them to forward whatever confirms their prejudices?
Are we teaching them that mistakes should be addressed individually?
Or are we teaching them to condemn entire communities?
If a young girl spends six years studying medicine abroad and returns home as a qualified doctor, society should be celebrating her achievement—not searching for ways to question her character.
A word to parents
Parents should certainly educate their children about morality, personal boundaries, responsible relationships, safety and the consequences of poor decisions.
But parents should also teach their children something equally important:
Never judge another person’s character without evidence.
And when their daughters go abroad for education, parents should maintain communication, guidance and emotional support.
Trust should not mean negligence.
And concern should not become suspicion.
A word to students
To every Kashmiri girl studying medicine abroad:
Do not allow a viral video to make you ashamed of your education.
You are not responsible for somebody else’s allegations.
Continue to protect your dignity.
Stay focused on your studies.
Respect your family.
Maintain professional boundaries.
Be careful about your company and your digital footprint.
And remember that your character is ultimately demonstrated through your conduct—not defined by somebody else’s social-media narrative.
A word to the fraternity
Doctors, medical graduates, educationists, counsellors and parents should not remain silent whenever an entire category of students is collectively vilified.
The response, however, should be responsible.
Do not respond with abuse.
Do not threaten.
Do not create another defamatory campaign.
Do not turn the dispute into another circus.
Instead, demand:
Evidence.
Verification.
Accountability.
Due process.
That is how a professional community should respond.
And finally, a word to the content creator
If you genuinely possess evidence of serious wrongdoing, present it responsibly.
If you have identified a crime, report it.
If you have identified an individual offender, let the law deal with that person.
But if your content relies upon insinuation, stereotypes, hearsay and generalisation, then please understand what you are doing.
You are not merely generating views.
You may be placing an invisible burden on thousands of innocent women.
You may be making a young doctor answer questions about conduct she never committed.
You may be making parents fear sending their daughters abroad.
You may be damaging the reputation of honest professionals.
And you may be teaching millions of viewers that sensationalism is more valuable than truth.
That is a very dangerous lesson.
Let the grain remain a grain
Yes, there may be a grain of sand in a bowl of rice.
Find the grain.
Remove it.
Deal with it.
But do not throw away the entire bowl of rice.
The same principle applies here.
If there are students who have committed wrongdoing, deal with those students.
If there are criminal acts, investigate them.
If there are genuine victims, protect them.
If there are allegations, verify them.
But do not condemn thousands of innocent young women because of a handful of alleged incidents.
I have spent decades watching young Kashmiris leave home with dreams of becoming doctors, engineers and professionals. I have watched their families struggle, sacrifice and pray for their success.
I have travelled with these students.
I have seen their realities.
And based on that long professional experience, I will say this without hesitation:
The story of Kashmiri students studying abroad is overwhelmingly a story of sacrifice, education, hard work and family aspirations—not the sensational narrative being manufactured for social-media consumption.
Let us investigate the splinter.
But let us not burn down the tree.
Let us protect our children from wrongdoing—but let us also protect them from rumour, misogyny, sensationalism and collective character assassination.
Because a society that allows an allegation to become a verdict without evidence is not protecting morality.
It is abandoning justice.
The writer is a Career Advisor & MBBS Abroad Specialist
