Kashmir Authorities Declare Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom Unlawful Under UAPA for Links to Banned Group

Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Anshul Garg issued an order on April 28, 2026, declaring Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom unlawful under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. The order was based on a police dossier alleging sustained and covert links between the seminary and the banned political party Jamaat-e-Islami, Al Jazeera reported.

The dossier stated that members of Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom’s management and faculty were linked to Jamaat-e-Islami.

The police dossier also cited allegations related to land use and financial transparency involving Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom. Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom is one of the largest Islamic seminaries in southern Kashmir. It is recognized by the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education.

Seminary chairman Mohammad Shafi Lone rejected the allegations against Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom. ' Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom has more than 800 students. Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, a member of Jammu and Kashmir parliament, wrote on X that declaring Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom unlawful under UAPA is the latest act in a calculated dismantling of Kashmir’s civic life.

Mehdi wrote on X that the pattern is unmistakable with trusts, mosques, libraries and now seminaries serving underprivileged children being strangled. Mehdi wrote on X that Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom has produced doctors, scholars and professionals from homes that could never afford private education.

Mehbooba Mufti, a former chief minister in Jammu and Kashmir, called the decision a flagrant injustice to the poor underprivileged sections of society.

Mufti said that banning these altruistic institutions without any solid evidence of antinational activity shows a deep-seated prejudice. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Kashmir’s top Muslim cleric, listed recent alleged incidents against residents including the seizure of property and arrests under the Public Safety Act.

Farooq asked if the administration can tell people of Kashmir clearly how long they will continue this policy of harassment and disempowerment.

He also asked if the elected government can tell us how long they will let this happen. Indian-administered Kashmir is a union territory administered by the federal government in New Delhi. Article 370 of the Indian Constitution previously granted Kashmir partial autonomy over education, employment and land ownership, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government revoked the law in 2019 and divided the region into two federally-controlled territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Since then, Kashmiri leaders have pushed back against restrictions on religious and other freedoms. Police began profiling Kashmir mosques earlier this year, prompting fear over increased surveillance by the federal government. Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, the region’s most prominent mosque, was forced to shut for almost two years following the 2019 transition and still faces frequent closures, along with limits on the number of people allowed to gather for prayers.

Kashmir voters elected local officials in 2024, in the first elections in a decade, but most powers remain with the New Delhi-appointed lieutenant governor, including control over police, public order and the transfer and posting of officials.