ismail yusuf college campus bachao sangharsh samilti - press note 21 2 2015
DESCRIPTION
In an inspiring show of Hindu-Muslim solidarity, people of Mumbai have come together to oppose the Maharashtra Government's move to "encroach" upon the 120-acre land belonging to Ismail Yusuf College, which was purchased in 1914 out of a Waqf (endowment) created by a donation of Rs. 8 lakh by Sir Mohammed Yusuf Ismail to promote higher education among Muslims. We demand the land to be given for establishing a WORLD-CLASS UNIVERSITY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY.TRANSCRIPT
Sangharsh Samiti
Press Statement
Released at a press conference in Mumbai on February 21, 2015
We appeal to the Government of Maharashtra to
immediately stop its plans to encroach upon land
belonging to Ismail Yusuf College, which was donated by a
Muslim philanthropist for Muslim education.
WE !E"# #$E G%&E"'ME'#(
If it chooses to violate its solemn obligation to the Muslim
community,
peaceful protest
in Mumbai*s history for the cause of minority education.
Ismail Yusuf College, Jogeshwari is one of the oldest educational institutions
in Mumbai. Sir Mohammed Yusuf Ismail, a great Muslim philanthropist and
proprietor of Bombay Steam Naigation Company was concerned about the
grossly inade!uate facilities of higher education for the deelopment of the
Muslim community in British"ruled India. #e therefore entrusted $s % la&h to
the 'oernor"in"Council of Bombay in ()(*, and created a +- /an
endowment made by a Muslim to a religious, educational, or charitable cause) .
0n January 1%, ()(*, the colonial goernment passed $esolution 2%2 and
accepted the amount as and by way of +- to carry out the terms and
ob3ects of the 4onor. It used the donation as an endowment to purchase the
land and established Ismail Yusuf College in ()25. s per the wish of the
4onor, the 'oernor"in"Council accepted the following commitments6
• 7he college would be primarily, but not e8clusiely, for Muslim students of the then Bombay State.
• It would be a residential institution.
(
• It would proide reasonable number of scholarships and free" ships for the empowerment of needy Muslim students.
• It would construct a mos!ue on the campus for prayers. /
mos!ue does e8ist on the campus.:
$egrettably, successie goernments of Maharashtra hae bra?enly iolated the agreement in many ways. 7hey not only turned a blind eye to, but actiely encouraged, encroachments on the land, as a result of which the campus of Ismail Yusuf College has shrun& from (15 acres to only about @* acres now. +hat is een more alarming, the new BJ9"Shi Sena goernment itself has now become an Aencroacher. ccording to recent media reports, the goernment has earmar&ed (@ acres of land on the campus to establish the National aw Dniersity. 7here are also reports that the 'oernment wants to set up a full"Eedged educational hub on the campus, along with a building to house the Marathi Bhasha Bhaan.
7his deious plan is a deliberate assault on the rights and needs of the Muslim community. 7he goernment headed by Chief Minister Shri 4eendra adnais should &now that it is only a trustee of the land which has been entrusted to it for a speci;c purpose. It cannot behae as if it is the owner of the land and do whateer it wants. It is morally, politically and Constitutionally obliged not only to honour the wishes of the original 4onor but also to act as per the agreement under which a +- was created, the land was purchased, and the college was established.
7he fact that the Muslim community in India is lagging behind in education, particularly in higher and professional education, has been incontroertibly brought out by the report of the Sachar Committee. It has been further reinforced by the Mehmood"ur"$ahman Committee, which was set up by the State 'oernment in 155% to study the economic and social bac&wardness among Muslims in Maharashtra.
‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ is a promise made by the BJ9, which is heading the goernments at the Centre and also in the State. +hy is it now behaing as if it has no obligation to wor& for the vikas of the Muslim communityF +e would also li&e to remind the Chief Minister about a speci;c promise his own party has made in its Manifesto for the +- !o/ 0abha
1
elections. It is stated in the section titled GMinorities H !ual 0pportunity< /page (:6
occupation of W23 properties.4
+e hope that the #onourable Chief Minister reads, and acts according to, his own party<s manifesto.
7he Maharashtra goernment is coering up its illegality by deceitfully claiming that it is going to use the land belonging to Ismail Yusuf College only for educational purposes, such as for establishing the National aw Dniersity. +e wholeheartedly welcome the establishment of the National aw Dniersity in Mumbai. But why should a general category educational institution be set up on a +- land meant for promoting higher education among MuslimsF Can the State 'oernment not ;nd (@ acres of land anywhere else in the Mumbai Metropolitan $egion /MM$:F Clearly, the 'oernment<s intention is to ta&e away +- property under the garb of the National aw Dniersity.
Concerned by this anti"Muslim moe by the BJ9"Shi Sena 'oernment, a large number of non"Muslim and Muslim citi?ens of Mumbai hae come together to form the I0MI! Y5053 C%!!EGE CM650 7C$% 0'G$"0$ 0MI#I. +e, especially non"Muslim members on this secular platform, ;rmly beliee that this issue does not concern only the Muslim community.
• It is a matter of defending JDS7IC.
• It is a matter of defending SCD$ISM.
• It is a matter of defending C0MMDN #$M0NY 7#$0D'# IN7$" I7# S0I4$I7Y.
• It is a matter of defending N7I0N IN7'$7I0N.
2
• It is a matter of defending the ideal of IN4I<S INCDSI 409MN7 /SB IS:.
• It is also a matter of defending the rights and the most pressing needs
of the MDSIM C0MMDNI7Y 0$ 4-D7 0990$7DNI7IS IN #I'#$ N4 9$0SSI0N 4DC7I0N.
$ence following are our demands(
-8#he Government of Maharashtra must stop encroaching upon the W23 land of Ismail Yusuf College and also remove all the illegal encroachments that it has already permitted.
+8Ismail Yusuf College should be declared a Minority Educational Institution. rticle 9:-8 of the Indian Constitution gives the right to "eligious and !inguistic Minorities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. #his demand has become necessary since, without converting it into a Minority Educational Institution, the Government cannot ful;l its obligations, under the terms of the endowment, to run Ismail Yusuf College < or any new educational institutions that would have to be built on its campus in future < primarily for the bene;t of the Muslim community.
*
8We are not opposed to establishment of the 'ational !aw 5niversity in Mumbai. We welcome it. $owever, it is the Government*s duty to allot suitable land at an alternative place in MM".
If these demands are not met, the ISMI YDSD C0' CM9DS BC#0
SN'#$S# SMI7I would li&e the 'oernment to &now that non"Muslims
and Muslims will together launch the biggest peaceful protest in Mumbai<s
history for the cause of minority education.
0udheendra Dul/arni, Chairman, 0bserer $esearch oundation Mumbai and an aide to India<s former 9rime Minister Shri tal Bihari a3payee
>r. ahir Da1i, 9resident, n3uman"I"Islam
Dapil 6atil, Member of the egislatie Council
6rabha/ar 'ar/ar, Social actiist
nil #yagi, Social actiist
Dishore Fagtap, Social actiist
@
Press Statement
Released at a press conference in Mumbai on February 21, 2015
We appeal to the Government of Maharashtra to
immediately stop its plans to encroach upon land
belonging to Ismail Yusuf College, which was donated by a
Muslim philanthropist for Muslim education.
WE !E"# #$E G%&E"'ME'#(
If it chooses to violate its solemn obligation to the Muslim
community,
peaceful protest
in Mumbai*s history for the cause of minority education.
Ismail Yusuf College, Jogeshwari is one of the oldest educational institutions
in Mumbai. Sir Mohammed Yusuf Ismail, a great Muslim philanthropist and
proprietor of Bombay Steam Naigation Company was concerned about the
grossly inade!uate facilities of higher education for the deelopment of the
Muslim community in British"ruled India. #e therefore entrusted $s % la&h to
the 'oernor"in"Council of Bombay in ()(*, and created a +- /an
endowment made by a Muslim to a religious, educational, or charitable cause) .
0n January 1%, ()(*, the colonial goernment passed $esolution 2%2 and
accepted the amount as and by way of +- to carry out the terms and
ob3ects of the 4onor. It used the donation as an endowment to purchase the
land and established Ismail Yusuf College in ()25. s per the wish of the
4onor, the 'oernor"in"Council accepted the following commitments6
• 7he college would be primarily, but not e8clusiely, for Muslim students of the then Bombay State.
• It would be a residential institution.
(
• It would proide reasonable number of scholarships and free" ships for the empowerment of needy Muslim students.
• It would construct a mos!ue on the campus for prayers. /
mos!ue does e8ist on the campus.:
$egrettably, successie goernments of Maharashtra hae bra?enly iolated the agreement in many ways. 7hey not only turned a blind eye to, but actiely encouraged, encroachments on the land, as a result of which the campus of Ismail Yusuf College has shrun& from (15 acres to only about @* acres now. +hat is een more alarming, the new BJ9"Shi Sena goernment itself has now become an Aencroacher. ccording to recent media reports, the goernment has earmar&ed (@ acres of land on the campus to establish the National aw Dniersity. 7here are also reports that the 'oernment wants to set up a full"Eedged educational hub on the campus, along with a building to house the Marathi Bhasha Bhaan.
7his deious plan is a deliberate assault on the rights and needs of the Muslim community. 7he goernment headed by Chief Minister Shri 4eendra adnais should &now that it is only a trustee of the land which has been entrusted to it for a speci;c purpose. It cannot behae as if it is the owner of the land and do whateer it wants. It is morally, politically and Constitutionally obliged not only to honour the wishes of the original 4onor but also to act as per the agreement under which a +- was created, the land was purchased, and the college was established.
7he fact that the Muslim community in India is lagging behind in education, particularly in higher and professional education, has been incontroertibly brought out by the report of the Sachar Committee. It has been further reinforced by the Mehmood"ur"$ahman Committee, which was set up by the State 'oernment in 155% to study the economic and social bac&wardness among Muslims in Maharashtra.
‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ is a promise made by the BJ9, which is heading the goernments at the Centre and also in the State. +hy is it now behaing as if it has no obligation to wor& for the vikas of the Muslim communityF +e would also li&e to remind the Chief Minister about a speci;c promise his own party has made in its Manifesto for the +- !o/ 0abha
1
elections. It is stated in the section titled GMinorities H !ual 0pportunity< /page (:6
occupation of W23 properties.4
+e hope that the #onourable Chief Minister reads, and acts according to, his own party<s manifesto.
7he Maharashtra goernment is coering up its illegality by deceitfully claiming that it is going to use the land belonging to Ismail Yusuf College only for educational purposes, such as for establishing the National aw Dniersity. +e wholeheartedly welcome the establishment of the National aw Dniersity in Mumbai. But why should a general category educational institution be set up on a +- land meant for promoting higher education among MuslimsF Can the State 'oernment not ;nd (@ acres of land anywhere else in the Mumbai Metropolitan $egion /MM$:F Clearly, the 'oernment<s intention is to ta&e away +- property under the garb of the National aw Dniersity.
Concerned by this anti"Muslim moe by the BJ9"Shi Sena 'oernment, a large number of non"Muslim and Muslim citi?ens of Mumbai hae come together to form the I0MI! Y5053 C%!!EGE CM650 7C$% 0'G$"0$ 0MI#I. +e, especially non"Muslim members on this secular platform, ;rmly beliee that this issue does not concern only the Muslim community.
• It is a matter of defending JDS7IC.
• It is a matter of defending SCD$ISM.
• It is a matter of defending C0MMDN #$M0NY 7#$0D'# IN7$" I7# S0I4$I7Y.
• It is a matter of defending N7I0N IN7'$7I0N.
2
• It is a matter of defending the ideal of IN4I<S INCDSI 409MN7 /SB IS:.
• It is also a matter of defending the rights and the most pressing needs
of the MDSIM C0MMDNI7Y 0$ 4-D7 0990$7DNI7IS IN #I'#$ N4 9$0SSI0N 4DC7I0N.
$ence following are our demands(
-8#he Government of Maharashtra must stop encroaching upon the W23 land of Ismail Yusuf College and also remove all the illegal encroachments that it has already permitted.
+8Ismail Yusuf College should be declared a Minority Educational Institution. rticle 9:-8 of the Indian Constitution gives the right to "eligious and !inguistic Minorities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. #his demand has become necessary since, without converting it into a Minority Educational Institution, the Government cannot ful;l its obligations, under the terms of the endowment, to run Ismail Yusuf College < or any new educational institutions that would have to be built on its campus in future < primarily for the bene;t of the Muslim community.
*
8We are not opposed to establishment of the 'ational !aw 5niversity in Mumbai. We welcome it. $owever, it is the Government*s duty to allot suitable land at an alternative place in MM".
If these demands are not met, the ISMI YDSD C0' CM9DS BC#0
SN'#$S# SMI7I would li&e the 'oernment to &now that non"Muslims
and Muslims will together launch the biggest peaceful protest in Mumbai<s
history for the cause of minority education.
0udheendra Dul/arni, Chairman, 0bserer $esearch oundation Mumbai and an aide to India<s former 9rime Minister Shri tal Bihari a3payee
>r. ahir Da1i, 9resident, n3uman"I"Islam
Dapil 6atil, Member of the egislatie Council
6rabha/ar 'ar/ar, Social actiist
nil #yagi, Social actiist
Dishore Fagtap, Social actiist
@