The remarks draw criticism from religious leaders as well as social media users.
NEW DELHI — In a deeply divisive attack targeting Muslims and two of India’s prominent educational institutions, Uttar Pradesh Minister of State Thakur Raghuraj Singh has described Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) as “terror hubs.” He accused these institutions of nurturing “traitors” and said he would shut down both universities if given the chance.
According to reports and videos circulating on X, Singh alleged that the two institutions were sheltering anti-national elements and producing terrorists. Invoking religious identity in his remarks, he also claimed that the universities were being run on the money of Hindu taxpayers while allegedly providing shelter to “traitors.”
“Look, these are hotbeds of terrorism. If I ever get the chance in my lifetime, I will first get Aligarh Muslim University and Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia shut down,” Singh said in an interview with IANS on Tuesday.
“They are funded by Hindu taxpayers, through our tax money, yet traitors are being nurtured here. Traitors and terrorists are being produced here. We will crush the menace of these terrorists,” he added.
The minister went further, saying he prayed to God for the strength and power to shut down the two universities or expand other Indian universities so much that AMU and Jamia would become irrelevant.
His remarks also included sweeping generalisations about Muslims, with Singh reportedly linking religious identity to disloyalty and extremism.
Referring to former Vice-President Hamid Ansari, he said, “According to this thinking, the bigger the Muslim, the bigger the traitor and the bigger the terrorist, the more extreme their mindset becomes.”
He also said that such people should go to “Iran, Sudan or wherever they feel comfortable”, adding that they should not betray the country.
The remarks have drawn criticism from religious leaders as well as social media users.
Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahli, chairman of the Islamic Centre of India, strongly condemned the minister’s statement.
“Whether it is AMU or Jamia, these are centres of education. Both universities bring India recognition around the world,” he told IANS.
Pointing to the contribution of their graduates working in Gulf countries, he said that students from the two institutions have made significant contributions internationally, which also benefits India’s economy.
He questioned the need for such remarks at a time when the country needs more educational opportunities.
“There is a shortage of education in the country, so rather than making such statements, we should promote education. We condemn such statements,” Maulana Khalid Rashid said.
At the time of writing, no official response from the BJP or the Uttar Pradesh government regarding Singh’s remarks was available.
Condemning Singh’s remarks, one user on X wrote, “If someone wants instant publicity, all they have to do is make a controversial remark about Muslims, Jamia, AMU, mosques, or madrasas, and they’ll get all the attention.”
Another user wrote, “Only shutting things down is possible; they don’t know how to build a new school or anything else. They spend all day, all year talking like blind devotees.”
