Rampur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 23 : Leader of Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, Mata Prasad Pandey, on Thursday accused the state government of working with "malice," as a delegation of Samajwadi Party leaders visited Jauhar University regarding the proposed demolition of 38 blocks at the institution.
Pandey told reporters, "The government is working with political malice."
According to a press release from the party, Pandey submitted a memorandum to the District Magistrate, demanding an immediate halt to the proposed demolition of Mohammad Ali Jauhar University.
The memorandum stated that saving this important educational institution is a matter of protecting the future of thousands of poor, backward, Dalit, minority, and deprived students.
"The Samajwadi Party will always remain at the forefront in every democratic struggle to protect education, the Constitution, and student interests," the party said in the press release.
The 28-member high-level delegation included 14 sitting MLAs, including Kamal Akhtar and Pinki Singh, alongside district party leaders from Rampur, Moradabad, and Bareilly.
A demolition has been proposed at Mohammad Ali Jauhar University after the Rampur Development Authority (RDA) ordered the removal of 38 allegedly unauthorised buildings. Additionally, the Public Works Department (PWD) has installed a board on a road inside the university campus declaring it a public route.
The RDA issued a notice to the Jauhar Trust, which runs the university, on June 28, alleging that 82,309.80 square meters of construction within the campus was carried out illegally. According to the authority, 38 blocks were constructed without approved building maps, while only two buildings had received prior permission from the District Panchayat.
The authority stated that the secretary of the Jauhar Trust failed to produce approval documents within the stipulated period. The trust has been granted an additional 15 days to remove the 38 structures, with the RDA warning that demolition proceedings will be initiated if they fail to comply within the given timeframe.
The demolition order was passed by the Vice-Chairman of the Rampur Development Authority, who also serves as the Rampur District Magistrate, under the provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Urban Planning and Development Act, 1973.
This marks a major administrative action against the flagship institution founded by senior Samajwadi Party leader Mohammad Azam Khan, who is currently incarcerated in Rampur.