Srinagar: In district Shopian of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, the well-known educational and welfare institution Darul Uloom Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom, associated with Jamaat-e-Islami, has been declared an unlawful organization and taken into custody by the authorities under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

According to media reports, the administration under Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha took action against Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom, located in Shopian, and brought the institution’s property and administrative affairs under government control. Officials stated that this step was taken under relevant provisions of the UAPA.

Authorities said that the declaration was made through an order issued by the Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir, Vijay Kumar. The order states that the action followed a dossier submitted by the Senior Superintendent of Police, Shopian, which claimed that the institution is affiliated with Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir, an organization banned by the Indian government in 2019.

Darul Uloom Siraj-ul-Uloom is considered a major educational institution in the area, where both modern and religious education were provided.

The action against the institution has sparked strong reactions in political circles and among the public. The All Parties Hurriyat Conference has strongly condemned the raid on Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom in Shopian and its declaration as an unlawful institution under what it described as a ‘draconian law.’

In a statement issued in Srinagar, Hurriyat spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas termed the move by the BJP-led administration as yet another open attack on religious and educational institutions in the region, aimed at suppressing the identity and aspirations of the Kashmiri people. Others parties also condemned it.