Crackdown on education: Authorities seize 215 Jamaat-linked schools in IIOJK
Srinagar: In a sweeping move targeting the education sector in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), authorities have ordered the government takeover of 215 schools run by the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and its affiliate, the Falah-i-Aam Trust (FAT).
According to Kashmir Media Service, these schools, spread across ten districts of the Kashmir Valley, include some of the oldest community-run institutions known for imparting both Islamic and modern education. For decades, these schools have played a pivotal role in improving literacy and providing affordable education across rural and urban Kashmir.
The order in this regard was issued by IIOJK School Education Department Secretary Ram Niwas Paswan with reference to the notifications issued by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs. It cites “adverse reports by intelligence agencies” and expiry of the schools’ management committees as the basis for the takeover. Deputy Commissioners and District Magistrates across the Kashmir Valley have been directed to immediately assume control of the institutions, with fresh committees to be constituted after “proper verification”.
The crackdown comes in the backdrop of the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs’ 2019 ban on Jamaat-e-Islami under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), a ban extended further in 2024.
The affected institution include 53 in Baramulla, 37 in Islamabad, 36 in Kupwara, 22 in Pulwama, 20 in Budgam, 16 in Kulgam, 15 in Shopian, six in Bandipora, six in Ganderbal, and four schools in Srinagar. After Jamaat’s ban in 2019, these schools had faced repeated scrutiny, with many barred from admitting new students since 2022, resulting in shrinking enrollments and mounting uncertainty about their future.
Parents, teachers and alumni have voiced deep concern that the sudden takeover would disrupt studies and jeopardize the education of thousands of students. Critics see the move as part of a broader campaign by the BJP-led Indian government to sideline institutions associated with Kashmiri Muslims, under the pretext of security concerns.
