The Crossbill News Desk
The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) has called for the dismissal of controversial Uttar Pradesh minister Thakur Raghuraj Singh from the state cabinet and demanded criminal action against him for his controversial remarks targeting Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University. The minister had branded the two institutions as “hotbeds of terrorism” and threatened to shut them down.
In a statement issued on Wednesday (November 11), the association strongly criticised Singh’s comments, describing them as communal and inflammatory. It warned that such statements could fuel hostility against students and create an atmosphere of intimidation and insecurity within university campuses.
“It is disturbing that, instead of addressing the pressing challenges confronting India’s education sector, an elected representative is busy demonising universities,” the association’s national convenor, Nasir Khuehami, said.
Singh made the remarks while speaking to TV channels and a news agency on Tuesday (November 10). He alleged that the two universities were being run with “Hindu taxpayers’ money” while allegedly nurturing “traitors and terrorists”.
Apart from threatening to close both institutions, he proposed replacing them with what he called a “Hindustan University”. He also demanded that the word ‘Muslim’ be dropped from their names.
The minister also launched an attack on former Vice-President Hamid Ansari, who had earlier served as AMU vice-chancellor, making sweeping allegations that sought to associate Muslim identity with disloyalty and terrorism.
Rejecting the minister’s characterisation of the universities, the JKSA highlighted their longstanding contributions to the country's academic, educational and intellectual development. It called upon the BJP leadership and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath to publicly condemn Singh’s statements.
Khuehami maintained that AMU and JMI were national institutions and that their students were an inseparable part of India's future. The association also stressed that universities must remain spaces for education and intellectual engagement rather than being subjected to communal attacks.
“Elected representatives holding constitutional positions should be held accountable for statements that could stigmatise educational institutions and students,” the JKSA statement said, adding, “Their campuses are places of learning, research, debate, scientific inquiry and intellectual development, not targets for political vendetta or communal propaganda.”
With Uttar Pradesh scheduled to hold Assembly elections in February-March 2027, the association also questioned the use of religious polarisation for political mobilisation. “Students and educational institutions cannot be turned into convenient political punching bags whenever someone attempts to exploit religious sentiments,” said JKSA.
In a statement issued on Wednesday (November 11), the association strongly criticised Singh’s comments, describing them as communal and inflammatory. It warned that such statements could fuel hostility against students and create an atmosphere of intimidation and insecurity within university campuses.
“It is disturbing that, instead of addressing the pressing challenges confronting India’s education sector, an elected representative is busy demonising universities,” the association’s national convenor, Nasir Khuehami, said.
Singh made the remarks while speaking to TV channels and a news agency on Tuesday (November 10). He alleged that the two universities were being run with “Hindu taxpayers’ money” while allegedly nurturing “traitors and terrorists”.
Apart from threatening to close both institutions, he proposed replacing them with what he called a “Hindustan University”. He also demanded that the word ‘Muslim’ be dropped from their names.
The minister also launched an attack on former Vice-President Hamid Ansari, who had earlier served as AMU vice-chancellor, making sweeping allegations that sought to associate Muslim identity with disloyalty and terrorism.
Rejecting the minister’s characterisation of the universities, the JKSA highlighted their longstanding contributions to the country's academic, educational and intellectual development. It called upon the BJP leadership and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath to publicly condemn Singh’s statements.
Khuehami maintained that AMU and JMI were national institutions and that their students were an inseparable part of India's future. The association also stressed that universities must remain spaces for education and intellectual engagement rather than being subjected to communal attacks.
“Elected representatives holding constitutional positions should be held accountable for statements that could stigmatise educational institutions and students,” the JKSA statement said, adding, “Their campuses are places of learning, research, debate, scientific inquiry and intellectual development, not targets for political vendetta or communal propaganda.”
With Uttar Pradesh scheduled to hold Assembly elections in February-March 2027, the association also questioned the use of religious polarisation for political mobilisation. “Students and educational institutions cannot be turned into convenient political punching bags whenever someone attempts to exploit religious sentiments,” said JKSA.
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