Overview
- The Kashmir divisional commissioner on Monday notified Darul Uloom Jamia Siraj‑ul‑Uloom in Shopian as an unlawful place under Section 8(1) of the UAPA, and the district magistrate sealed the premises with entry barred to outsiders.
- Officials allege covert linkages with the banned Jamaat‑e‑Islami, de facto control by its affiliates, questionable land acquisition, missing mandatory registrations, and opaque handling of funds.
- The order cites security inputs that the institute fostered an environment conducive to radicalisation, with former students involved in militancy, including a onetime student linked by the NIA to the 2019 Pulwama car bombing.
- Acting chairman Mohammad Shafi Lone rejects the allegations, notes 814 enrolled students and more than 100 staff, and says the school answered the show‑cause notice and will cooperate with any independent probe.
- The step is the first such designation of a seminary in J&K and follows recent government takeovers of dozens of schools tied to the Falah‑e‑Aam Trust, signaling a continuing drive that could include asset freezes and further administrative action.