An important Islamic seminary in Indian-administered Kashmir has been declared unlawful under anti-terror laws, prompting backlash from prominent religious and political leaders in the territory.
Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Anshul Garg issued the order based on a police dossier that alleged “sustained and covert links” between the seminary and the banned political party Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), local media reported.
The seminary, Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom, is one of the largest in southern Kashmir and is recognised by the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education, the main autonomous secondary and higher secondary education board in the union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, which were earlier part of undivided Indian-administered Kashmir until 2019.
The dossier stated that members of Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom’s management and faculty were linked to JeI. It also cited other allegations related to land use and financial transparency.
The move was handed down under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), a much-criticised law that allows authorities to designate someone a “terrorist” without evidence.
Seminary chairman Mohammad Shafi Lone has reportedly rejected the allegations.
“We are a law-abiding institute and have nothing to do with the banned Jamaat-e-Islami,” the Hindustan Times daily reported, quoting Lone. “This order has created panic among parents and students enrolled here.”
Leaders in Muslim-majority Kashmir criticised the move as part of an ongoing campaign of overreach by New Delhi.
This story was originally published in aljazeera.com. Read the full story here.
