India targets Muslim-run Al Falah University under draconian law
Action part of campaign to weaken voices defending minorities’ rights
New Delhi: Indian authorities have moved to attach the campus of Al Falah University in Faridabad, Haryana, under the draconian Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), in what observers say forms part of a broader pattern of targeting Muslim-run educational institutions under the pretext of legal and financial irregularities.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is investigating whether funds for the university’s construction were allegedly sourced from proceeds of crime. Al Falah Group chairman Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui was arrested by the ED in November, with officials claiming that the university lacked valid accreditation for its courses.
The agency is identifying and valuing movable and immovable assets of the Al Falah Trust, which owns the university and affiliated institutions, to prevent alleged proceeds of crime from being sold or dissipated. A government-appointed receiver may take over campus administration.
The university became a focus of Indian agencies following the November 10 Red Fort blast, in which Umar-un-Nabi, a doctor at Al Falah Medical College, is accused of carrying out the attack. However, the agencies have no solid proof to substantiate the allegation.
Observers said the crackdown reflects India’s broader agenda of targeting Muslim-run educational and social institutions, aiming to weaken voices advocating minorities’ rights and suppress Muslim empowerment. Critics warned that such measures, carried out under the guise of regulatory or legal enforcement, deepen insecurity among minority communities and risk undermining education and livelihoods.
Siddiqui’s lawyer has rejected the allegations, describing the FIRs and the ED’s case as “false and fabricated.”
Meanwhile, the ED continues probing alleged misuse of General Power of Attorney documents and other transactions linked to the trust.
