Shopian:
The government has a declared a prominent madrasa in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district as an unlawful entity under the anti- Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
According to government order, the seminary Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom has been found to have links with the banned Jamaat-e-Islami, and is suspected to have been spreading radicalism and lacking mandatory registration, along with having questionable funding.
As per order, credible inputs suggested sustained and covert links between the seminary and Jamaat-e-Islami, which has been banned by the Centre. It also says that individuals affiliated with the Jamaat-e-Islami exercise their influence over administrative and academic matters of the seminary.
“In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 8(1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, I, Anshul Garg, IAS, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, hereby notify Darul Uloom Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom, Imam Sahib, Shopian, as an Unlawful Entity/Place Under UA(P)Act, 1967,” reads the order.
The government notification says that the seminary was involved in radicalisation and several former students of the institution had allegedly engaged in militant activities. The government has also cited financial opacity and suspected diversion of funds as grounds for declaring the madrasa an unlawful entity.
Reacting to the development, Kashmir’s chief cleric and separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq hit out at J&K Lt Governor administration shutting the seminary cum college.
First we have multiple agencies chasing citizens under one pretext or another. Then properties of locals are confiscated. Students protesting alleged misconduct are booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA), send to jails outside, ruining their lives and careers. A sitting MP is…
— Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (@MirwaizKashmir) April 27, 2026
The Jammu and Kashmir administration said due process was followed, including issuing a notice to the chairman of the institution. Per an order by the Shopian superintendent of police, objections submitted by the chairman of the institution are misconceived, factually untenable and devoid of legal merit.
The order says action against the seminary is preventive in nature and do not require proof beyond reasonable doubt as mandated in criminal trials.
According to reports, Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom has been imparting both religious and modern education. The government has invoked Section 8(1) of the UAPA, which authorises magistrates to seal the madrasa premises and freeze financial assets linked to the institution. Hundreds of students were enrolled in the seminary, which has multi-storey buildings and large complex.
The seminary has often denied its links with the Jamaat. In August last year, teachers and students of Siraj-ul-Aloom held a tricolour rally to show its patriotic credentials and honour the national flag.