An Islamic seminary in Indian-administered Kashmir has been declared unlawful under anti-terror legislation, triggering criticism from political and religious leaders who say the move reflects growing federal intervention in the region’s civic space, reports Al Jazeera.
Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Anshul Garg issued the order based on a police dossier alleging “sustained and covert links” between the seminary and the banned political party Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), according to local media. The action was taken under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), which allows authorities to designate individuals or organisations as “terrorist” entities.
The seminary, Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom, is among the largest Islamic institutions in southern Kashmir. It is recognised by the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education, the region’s main autonomous education body for secondary and higher secondary schooling in the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, which were formed after the reorganisation of the region in 2019.
The police dossier alleged that members of the seminary’s management and teaching staff had links to Jamaat-e-Islami. It also referred to concerns over land use and financial transparency.
Seminary chairman Mohammad Shafi Lone rejected the allegations, saying the institution had no connection to the banned group.
“We are a law-abiding institute and have nothing to do with the banned Jamaat-e-Islami,” the Hindustan Times daily quoted Lone as saying. “This order has created panic among parents and students enrolled here.”
The decision drew criticism from leaders in Muslim-majority Kashmir, who described it as part of a broader pattern of central government overreach.
Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, a member of parliament from the region, said the designation marked “the latest act in a calculated dismantling of Kashmir’s civic life”.
“The pattern is unmistakable. Trusts, mosques, libraries and now seminaries serving underprivileged children, every social and nongovernmental institution that holds Kashmiri society together is being strangled,” he wrote on X.
He added that the seminary had more than 800 students and had “produced doctors, scholars and professionals from homes that could never afford private education”.
Mehbooba Mufti, a former chief minister of undivided Indian-administered Kashmir, described the move as a “flagrant injustice to the poor underprivileged sections of society”.
“Banning these altruistic institutions without any solid evidence of antinational activity shows a deep-seated prejudice,” she said.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Kashmir’s top Muslim cleric, cited recent actions against residents, including property seizures and detentions under the Public Safety Act, questioning how long such policies would continue.
“Can the … administration tell people of Kashmir clearly how long they will continue this policy of harassment and disempowerment?” he said. “And can the elected [government] tell us how long they will let this happen?”
Indian-administered Kashmir is governed as a union territory, placing it under direct federal control from New Delhi.
The region’s special constitutional status, which had granted limited autonomy over areas such as education, employment and land ownership under Article 370, was revoked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in 2019. The move also split the region into two federally administered territories.
Since then, Kashmiri leaders have raised concerns over restrictions on civil and religious freedoms.
Earlier this year, police began profiling mosques across the region, fuelling fears of increased surveillance. Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, one of the most prominent mosques, remained shut for nearly two years after the 2019 changes and continues to face periodic restrictions, including limits on congregational prayers.
Although local elections were held in 2024, the first in a decade, most governing powers remain with the lieutenant governor appointed by New Delhi, including authority over policing, public order and administrative postings.
