Category: Dehradun

One law will apply to all minority educational institutions, not just madrasas

Dehradun (Amaanullah Usmani) Uttarakhand will now have a uniform law applicable not only to madrasas but also to educational institutions of other minority communities. Governor Lieutenant General Gurmeet Singh (Retd.) has approved the Uttarakhand Minority Education Bill 2025. This law will become applicable across the state after gazette notification.

The Uttarakhand Madrasa Education Board Act 2016 and the Uttarakhand Non-Government Arabic and Persian Madrasa Recognition Rules 2019 will be repealed from July 1, 2026. Following this, all institutions seeking minority status from the state government will be required to obtain recognition from the authority. Educational institutions belonging to the Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, and Parsi communities will receive recognition.

Under the new law, an authority (the Uttarakhand State Minority Education Authority) will be established to grant minority educational institution status. Any educational institution established by the Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, or Parsi community will be required to obtain recognition from the authority to qualify for minority educational institution status.

After the Dhami government approved this bill in the cabinet in August, it was passed in the monsoon session of the Bhararisain Assembly and sent to the Raj Bhavan. The Raj Bhavan approved it on Monday. A gazette notification will now be issued at the government level, after which the law will come into effect.

After the law comes into effect, the Uttarakhand State Minority Education Authority will be established, consisting of a nominated chairperson and 11 members. The chairperson will be an academic from a minority community with 15 years or more of teaching experience, with a minimum of five years of experience in a higher educational institution. Six of the 11 members will be from minority communities. This includes one member each from the Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, Jain, or Parsi communities, who belong to that religion or speak that language. Of the other five members, one will be a retired state government official, a secretary or equivalent. The second will be a social worker having 10 years or more experience in the field of school education, the third will be the Director General of School Education, the fourth will be the Director of SCERT, the fifth will be the Director of Minority Welfare.

Old Asharodi Mosque locked by forest authorities

Dehradun, None of the residents particularly old residents of Doon valley travelling towards Mohand had missed a small mosque near the Ashrodi police check post. The mosque which is believed to be more than a hundred years old has been locked by the Uttarakhand Forest authorities as part of the ‘Anti- Muslim’ campaign launched by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state government led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

The forest authorities along with a large police force and a bulldozer descended on the tiny mosque and ordered the Imam of the mosque to take out his belongings. The mosque was subsequently sealed despite protest by the representatives of the Muslim community. The old mosque situated on forest land was also part of the plan of the state government for demolition as part of Chief Minister Dhami’s campaign against “Mazar Jehad” in which more than six hundred mazars and other religious structures were demolished since last year.

Razia Baig, a former Chairperson of Bar Council, Uttarakhand, Latafat Hussain, a senior Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) leader, Nayeem Quraishy of Muslim Sewa Sangathan and Khushid Ahmed, a resident of Majra village knocked at the doors of Nainital High Court against the demolition orders but failed to get any positive order. They filed a civil appeal in the Supreme Court. A bench comprising Justice M.M. Sundresh and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma disposing of the civil appeal in its’ order dated September 3, 2025 ruled,” Leave granted. Though the impugned order has been sought to be challenged on different grounds, we are not inclined to accept the same.

However, upon perusing the records, including the map produced by the learned senior counsel appearing for the appellants, and the reply filed by the respondent(s) which is rather vague and inconclusive insofar as the age of the mosque is concerned, we pass an order to the effect that the structure existing in the form of a mosque, being sufficiently old, shall not be demolished.

However, the said structure shall not be used by anyone for any religious purpose. We make it clear that in the event of any attempt being made by anyone to enter into the mosque, it will be open to the respondent(s) to take appropriate action. The appeal stands disposed of accordingly.”

The Muslim representatives protested against the sealing done by the authorities and argued that the Apex court has not ordered the sealing of the old mosque. They said that there are non-religious activities like taking care of the mosque which are not prohibited by the impugned order. Although, the forest officials removed the seals but locked the mosque. They also dug a trench to prevent anyone from entering the mosque and also removed the board off the mosque.

Interestingly, there are Hindu temples across the state in forest including the most revered Purnagiri temple in Champawat district but no action has been taken against those.

Khurshid Ahmed one of the petitioner in the case charged that the digging a trench and locking the mosque was against the order of the Supreme Court. All the four petitioners have written to the forest authorities against the action taken today.

Conspiracy to defame the government

Report: Amaanullah Usmani

Dehradun – Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami issued a stern warning that the cheating mafia will not be spared under any circumstances. Some cheating and coaching mafia are conspiring to defame the government. This will be exposed soon.

CM Dhami stated that when he assumed the office of Chief Minister on July 4, 2021, there were approximately 22,000 vacant positions in various departments. Now, due to the government’s efforts, more than 25,000 young people have secured government jobs, and not a single case of cheating has been reported in any of these examinations.

To prevent disruptions in the recruitment process, the government enacted strict anti-cheating laws. This has caused problems for some individuals, and efforts are being made to defame the government. Another such attempt was made in the graduate-level recruitment examination on Sunday, even though this is not a case of paper leak.

The cheating mafia will not be spared under any circumstances. Such conspiracies have occurred in the past, but the government has thwarted the cheating mafia’s intentions by conducting all examinations with transparency.

Met with the family of the deceased; Jamiat will bear responsibility for the education of the deceased’s children

Report: Amaanullah Usmani

Dehradun – While the recent devastating disaster in Uttarakhand disrupted normal life, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind Uttarakhand once again proved that humanity’s greatest strength in times of disaster is empathy and help.

On Wednesday, a Jamiat delegation led by State General Secretary Maulana Sharafat Ali Qasmi visited Dehradun’s Parwal, MDDA Colony in Dalanwala, and Adhoivala, where the floodwaters of the Rispana River reduced people’s homes and shops to rubble. Maulana Sharafat met with the affected people, not only sharing their pain but also assuring them of all possible assistance.

The houses of Bittu, Indrasen, and Zafar in the MDDA colony have collapsed; Jamiat will provide financial assistance to these three.

Speaking to the media, Maulana Sharafat expressed deep concern and said that the entire state is currently going through a terrible tragedy. This natural disaster has devastated the lives of many people. This is not the time for us to merely express concern, but to provide real help. Jamiat stands with every affected family and is carrying out relief work at our own level. He appealed to the government to amend disaster regulations and distribute relief funds immediately so that the victims can receive support as soon as possible.

Maulana Sharafat Ali Qasmi demanded that the central government declare Uttarakhand a disaster-affected area, saying that this is not just a natural disaster, but a human tragedy. He urged that relief work be expedited and that help reach every affected person.

Present on this occasion were State General Secretary Maulana Sharafat Ali Qasmi, State Vice President Mufti Rais Ahmed Qasmi, Maulana Masoom Qasmi, Mufti Taufiq Ilahi, Maulana Asad, Maulana Haroon, Maulana Aabad, Maulana Abdul Sattar, Mufti Shamsul Huda, Mufti Tazeem, Maulana Shahid Hussain, Maulana Abdul Wahid, Maulana Gulsher, Maulana Abdul Mannan Qasmi, Master Abdul Sattar, Mufti Ayaz Ahmed, Maulana Raghib Mazahiri, Maulana Umar, Maulana Nadeem Ahmed, Mohammad Ikram, Maulana Shuaib, Zakir Ansari, Qari Muqeem Alam, and Mohammad Shah Nazar.

Paid tribute to the families of the deceased.

The delegation visited the home of Farman of Parwal, who lost his life in the disaster, and expressed condolences. Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, the state vice president of the Jamiat, consoled the affected families, saying, “You are not alone. Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind is with you. We consider your grief as our own. May Allah bring everyone through this difficult time.” Jamiat (A) and Jamiat (M) provided a cash assistance of 25,000 rupees to the widow of the deceased and announced responsibility for the children’s education.

Zeenat Masroor of Roorkee won first prize in the competition held in Dehradun

Report: Arif Niazi

Roorkee – Schools from 40 different states registered for the Aashu speech competition and Aashu essay writing competition held at The Indian Public School Dehradun Rajawala. This competition was held at the national level in which students from different states like Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand etc. participated. Zeenat Masroor, a class 12 student of Greenway Modern Senior Secondary School Adarsh Nagar Roorkee, won the first place. As a reward, she was awarded a cash prize of Rs. 51000, a certificate and a prize. Anjali Saxena, a class 11 student of Greenway Modern Senior Secondary School Adarsh Nagar, participated in the essay writing competition. She won the second place in the competition. She was awarded Rs. 25000 cash, a certificate and a prize. The proper preparation of the students for this competition was done by the school teacher Mrs. Gunjan Tyagi. On this success of the students, the school’s Principal Mrs. Mala Chauhan and Manager Mr. Ashok Chauhan congratulated the students.

“Daayitva Foundation” honoured 300 meritorious students

Dehradun. In the fourth Pratibha Samman ceremony organised by “Daayitva Foundation” , students were not only honoured, but a meaningful effort was also made to show them the path of the future.On Sunday, this program was held in a very emotional, inspiring and dignified atmosphere in the Culture Department Auditorium, Dehradun in collaboration with Maya Devi University, Union Bank of India and Tasmiya All India Educational and Social Welfare Society.

The function was presided over by Haji Mohammad Yusuf, Chairman, Daivat Foundation. From the stage, he inspired the students to work for the country and society with hard work, honesty and service spirit.The chief guest was Dr. S. Farooq, President, Tasmiya All India Educational and Social Welfare Society. In his address, he highlighted the importance of education and said that quality higher education is a necessity in today’s time.

The special guest Dr. Nawaz Deobandi, internationally renowned poet and former president, Urdu Academy Uttar Pradesh, while emphasizing on girl education, said that to bring progress in the society, it is necessary to provide maximum educational opportunities to girls. The program was conducted by Mohammad Shahnazar in a very efficient and interesting language.

Three hundred students were honored on the stage

The special achievement of this event was that 300 students who performed excellently in various boards were called on the stage and honored. The honor not only increased the confidence of the students, but their families also felt proud. Apart from this, students who succeeded in competitive examinations were also specially honored.

The career counseling session organized during the program proved to be very beneficial for the students. In this, senior officials from various administrative services, army, police and civil services provided in-depth guidance to the students on competitive examinations, admission processes and career building techniques.

Dr. Tanjim Ali (PCS) threw light on the preparation and mental strategy for medical entrance examination. Shahjahan Javed (Deputy Superintendent of Police, Personnel Headquarters) discussed in detail the career prospects in police service. Gulfam Ahmed (PCS, Additional Director Treasury) gave information about opportunities in financial services. Mohammad Aslam (PCS) gave directional guidance in preparation for Uttarakhand Public Service Commission.Aamir Noshad (IFS) explained the process of joining Indian Foreign Service in simple words. RA Khan (Director, Prayag IAS Academy) explained the strategy of civil service examination, smart study tips and ways to keep up the morale. Lt. Col. Qadir Hussain gave an inspirational address on the process of recruitment in Indian Army and the spirit of serving the country. Farman Iqbal gave detailed information on various educational and professional options after 12th.

The following guests were present at the function

On this occasion, Afzal Khan, Haji Iqbal, Parvez Anjum, Haroon Rashid, Master Abdul Sattar, M.A. Khan, Nadeem Athar, M.M. Siddiqui, Waseem Ahmed, Tanveer Ali, Mustaqeem Hasan, Mohammad Ikram, Dr. Taufiq Ahmed, Wali Mohammad, Arif Khan, Mohd. Anas, Mohd. Aqil, Mohd. Yasin, Mohd. Danish, Faizan Ali, I.A. Khan, Mohd. Kaifi, Ahmad Nawaz, Abbas Ali and Israr Ahmad and many other dignitaries were present.

This event became a historic initiative

At the end of the event, all the participants were presented with certificates and mementos. The atmosphere of enthusiasm, zeal and hope on the stage made it clear that this event organized by “Daayitva Foundation” was not just a program but a historic step taken towards building the future of the students.

Excellent flavourful and aromatic tea *”Limra Aroma”*