Samajwadi Party and Congress accuse the BJP government of political vendetta and of targeting an educational institution
LUCKNOW — The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh appears intent not only on politically destroying the Samajwadi Party’s most prominent Muslim face in the state, Azam Khan, and his family, but also on erasing his most cherished legacy.
The state government has already slapped more than 100 criminal cases against the Samajwadi Party stalwart, his wife and son. Azam Khan is behind bars after his conviction in several cases, which critics describe as politically motivated. Now, the government is set to demolish his flagship project, the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur.
On Wednesday, the Rampur Development Authority (RDA) ordered the demolition of 38 of the 40 buildings on the university campus, after concluding that the structures had been built without approved building plans.
The demolition order was issued under Section 27(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Urban Planning and Development Act, 1973, following a detailed hearing and examination of records, officials said.
The move has triggered a political row, with the Samajwadi Party and Congress accusing the BJP government of political vendetta and of targeting an educational institution, while officials maintain that the action follows violations of planning laws.
The RDA has directed the university to remove the unauthorised structures within 15 days, warning that the administration will initiate demolition proceedings if the institution fails to comply.
Defending the government’s stand, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said the administration was committed to ensuring that the rule of law is followed without exception.
“Our government is committed to maintaining law and order. We will ensure that the law is upheld in every situation and that no unauthorised construction takes place,” he told reporters.
Minority Welfare Minister Danish Azad Ansari also justified the action, saying that the university had been developed by encroaching upon public property rather than for the welfare of the community.
“Jauhar University was not built for the welfare of society, nor was it built to educate poor Muslims. It was built for personal interests. Government land was encroached upon for the construction of the university. Government-built roads worth crores were included on the university campus; some Waqf properties were also included. All this was revealed in an investigation. Following this, necessary action was taken,” Ansari told IANS.
Samajwadi Party, however, strongly criticised the move, describing the demolition order as politically motivated and discriminatory.
The party’s MLA Ravidas Mehrotra alleged that the BJP government was targeting the university out of spite.
Speaking to IANS, he said, “The BJP government is acting out of malice and a spirit of vendetta. They are preparing to bulldoze Jauhar University. The BJP government failed to bulldoze the homes of those who embezzled donations meant for the Ram Mandir, yet they are attempting to demolish a place where students study. The BJP will have to pay a heavy price for this; it has sparked anger among the youth.”
Samajwadi Party spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan Chand alleged that the BJP government was “pursuing a policy of demolition instead of development.”
He said educational institutions were being targeted and described Mohammad Ali Jauhar University as a centre of learning.
Chand claimed that the BJP was “afraid of education” and asserted that the Samajwadi Party, if voted to power, would focus on the development of Uttar Pradesh rather than demolitions.
Congress spokesperson Sachin Rawat alleged that the BJP government was selectively using bulldozer action and other agencies against opposition leaders.
The people of Uttar Pradesh were watching these developments and would give their verdict in the elections.
The university is administered by the Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust, which was earlier chaired by Azam Khan.
Rampur District Magistrate Ajay Kumar Dwivedi said the action against the university was initiated after a report submitted by the regional junior engineer highlighted alleged unauthorised construction across the university campus.
Following the report, the university management was served with a notice and asked to submit its response. It filed its written reply on July 8, after which a personal hearing was conducted on July 15 in the presence of officials, legal representatives of the university, and RDA authorities.
The university argued that the campus, located in Singankhera village, did not fall within the jurisdiction of the Rampur Development Authority before September 27, 2024. It maintained that approval from the RDA was therefore not required when the buildings were constructed and contended that the structures could not be retrospectively declared illegal under the present jurisdiction.
The development authority rejected this argument, stating that permission from the competent authority applicable at the time of construction was mandatory, irrespective of whether the area later came under the RDA’s jurisdiction.
According to the demolition order, official records obtained from the Rampur Zila Panchayat showed that only two structures — the medical college building and the academic block — had approved building plans. The remaining 38 buildings, the authority said, had no valid construction approvals.
The RDA further observed that the university management was fully aware of the legal requirement to obtain permission before construction, as it had secured approval from the Zila Panchayat for the two authorised buildings. Despite this, it proceeded with the construction of the remaining structures without obtaining the necessary sanctions.
RDA also dismissed the university’s legal submissions concerning the master plan, zonal plan and other provisions of the Act, maintaining that the legality of any structure is determined by whether it received approval from the competent authority under the laws in force at the time it was built.
The university was established in 2006 through an Act passed by the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. It is situated around 12 kilometres from Rampur Station.
Azam Khan served as the Chancellor and lifetime president of the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust, which managed the university.
Earlier this year, Azam Khan and members of his family formally stepped down from the university’s governing trust. — With Inputs From Agencies
