Angry over BJP-Sena government's plans to establish more educational institutions on the premises of the state-run Ismail Yusuf College in Jogeshwari, several NGOs in Maharashtra came together on Monday to work on a single point agenda — "forcible possession" of the institute — so that the 65-acre property can be earmarked solely for the Muslim community.
Angry over BJP-Sena government's plans to establish more educational institutions on the premises of the state-run Ismail Yusuf College in Jogeshwari, several NGOs in Maharashtra came together on Monday to work on a single point agenda — "forcible possession" of the institute — so that the 65-acre property can be earmarked solely for the Muslim community.
Led by Congress leader and ex-MLA Yusuf Abrahani, the NGOs, which are associated with Social Educational Welfare Association (SEWA), have given the state government deadline of March first week to hand over the 65-acre campus to a Muslim organisation, failing which they will lead an "Indu Mill-like agitation" to get "their rightful".
"The land belongs to Muslims and it should be solely managed by members of the community. If this doesn't happen by the set date, we will forcibly grab the 85-year-old campus just like Dalit parties did to take Indu Mill land for Ambedkar's memorial," said Abrahani.
"The land and entire cost of setting up the college came from huge donations made by Sir Ismail Yusuf with the sole purpose of providing higher education to Muslims. However, post-independence, the true purpose has been lost. We have been demanding that the college be returned to the community for the past 65 years."
When asked, why didn't he raise the issue when Congress-NCP government was in power, Abrahani claimed, "The college was about to be given to the Anjuman-i-Islam trust. However, another NGO from Pune demanded that it be given possession, which delayed the process. Later, the Pune NGO took back its application, and then we lost the assembly elections."
Abrahani said he has written to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and even MNS chief Raj Thackeray, seeking their help to resolve the issue.
Education minister Vinod Tawde on Monday said the government will study the GR of pre-independence era to find out the exact purpose for which the land was given to the then governor of Bombay.
dna has done a series of reports over the past month on the simmering tension in the community over state government's move to first accommodate the National Law University within the campus and then mulling over giving 20 acres to it.
Two days back, minister of state Ravindra Waikar, who represents the constituency under which the college comes, went a step ahead by asking University of Mumbai and Directorate of Technical Education to submit proposals for opening four more colleges on the premises — for engineering, pharmacy, hotel management and architecture courses — which irked the community further.
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