Outrage, Call to Action after Maulana Jauhar Ali University Demolition Order
Slamming the Rampur Development Authority's order to demolish Maulana Jauhar Ali University's 38 out of the 40 buildings, the Congress Party has called upon the civil society to step forward against, what it called, the 'oppressive government
New Delhi: Slamming the Rampur Development Authority's order to demolish Maulana Jauhar Ali University's 38 out of the 40 buildings, the Congress Party has called upon the civil society to step forward against, what it called, the 'oppressive government.'
“To save such a major educational institution, civil society must step forward, otherwise these oppressive governments won't leave anything safe”, Congress leader and MP, Imran Pratapgarhi, said in a social media post from his official X handle.
Dr. Tazeen Fatima, former MLA and wife of the founder of the university Azam Khan confirmed receiving the demolition notice.
"We have been given 15 days time", she told reporters.
As per the reports, the demolition notice said if the university administration did not demolish the buildings in 15 days, the state administration will do it.
“Then demolish all these universities too”
Questioning the morality of the RDA order, the Congress leader and Chairman of AICC Minority Department, Imran Pratapgarhi, said the area where Maulana Jauhar Ali University is located did not fall under the jurisdiction of the Rampur Development Authority when the construction was started.
“Later, the authority expanded its scope, and now the Rampur DM is saying that Jauhar University's map hasn't been approved, so an order has been passed to demolish it”, Imran Pratapgarhi said.
“By the way, no university in this country has an approved map, so will you run bulldozers over all the universities?” he asked.
“Most DM offices in this country probably don't have approved maps either, so will you raze them all to the ground?” he asked.
“Absurd, Dictatorial Order”
Terming the Rampur RDA order "absurd and dictatorial", Imran Pratapgarhi asked the officials to think of the institutions they had studied from that might not have the necessary approvals.
“While issuing such absurd and dictatorial orders, these officials should consider that they themselves must have studied at some university whose map isn't approved either”, he said.
Expressing shock over the demolition order, Samajwadi Party MP Mohibullah Nadvi called Maulana Jauhar Ali University the "symbol of India's shared society".
"This university is a symbol of our shared society and serves both Hindu and Muslim students. If you look at Aligarh Muslim University, a significant number of Hindu students study there. Similarly, Muslim students study at Banaras Hindu University. This reflects our shared heritage, where people from different communities study together, compete in a healthy manner and strive for excellence."
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Criticizing the government for the Jauhar University demolition order and calling it “madness” and “foolishness”, a social media user hailed Azam Khan for establishing “a world-class university” and giving a “new identity” to Rampur.
“Rampur, which people knew for its knives, has been given a new identity by Azam Sahab by establishing a world-class university like Jauhar there… Yogi Adityanath must not have even seen such a grand university, let alone think of building one… Running a bulldozer over a world-class educational institution is sheer madness and foolishness”, he wrote.
"Established 2 decades ago... Spread over hundreds of acres... Thousands of students studying... At a place where there’s shortage of colleges...But govt says it will still be bulldozed.
"Why? Well, guess the name of the University!!!", another social media user wrote.
What the Rampur RDA order says?
The outrage was sparked and Congress reaction came hours after the Rampur Development Authority (RDA) ordered the demolition of 38 buildings at Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, founded by Former UP Minister Azam Khan, saying they were constructed without approved building plan.
Talking to media, Rampur District Magistrate Ajay Kumar Dwivedi said the action was initiated after a report by the regional junior engineer flagged alleged “unauthorised constructions” on the university campus.
The university management was served a notice and asked to present its case. It submitted its reply on July 8, and a personal hearing was held on July 15 in the presence of officials and lawyers representing both the university and the RDA.
During the hearing, the university argued that Singankhera village, where the campus is located, was not under the jurisdiction of the Rampur Development Authority before September 27, 2024. It said approval from the RDA was therefore not required when the buildings were constructed and that the structures could not now be declared illegal under current rules.
The RDA rejected the arguments, saying approval from the competent authority was mandatory at the time of construction, regardless of whether the area was later brought under the development authority's jurisdiction.
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