Students launch indefinite hunger strike to save Muslim-founded university in India

NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Students at Mohammed Ali Jauhar University in northern India have launched an indefinite hunger strike to stop the demolition of most of their campus, saying the move would effectively destroy one of the country’s prominent Muslim-founded universities and derail the education of thousands of students.

The protest began on July 18 after the Rampur Development Authority ordered the demolition of 38 of the university’s 40 buildings, alleging they were constructed without approved building plans, according to The Hindustan Gazette.

Students have since maintained round-the-clock demonstrations on campus, vowing not to end their hunger strike until the order is withdrawn.

Carrying placards reading “Don’t Play with Our Future,” “Save Education, Stop Demolition,” and “Withdraw Demolition Order,” the students say the government’s action threatens not only their degrees but the survival of an institution that has become an important center of higher education for Muslims and other marginalized communities.

“The students do not want the university to be demolished but continue their education there,” a university official said. “They do not want to lose the years they have invested in their studies.”

In a statement, the university administration said the movement was “not about any individual” but about protecting the future of every student. It urged protesters to remain peaceful while defending what it described as their constitutional right to education, calling the university “our identity.”

Founded by jailed opposition leader Azam Khan, Mohammed Ali Jauhar University enrolls nearly 3,000 students, many from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who receive fee concessions. Supporters say demolishing nearly the entire campus would make it impossible for the institution to function.

The demolition order has sparked support from Muslim organizations across India. A delegation from Jamaat-e-Islami Hind visited the campus this week and submitted a memorandum to the governor of Uttar Pradesh urging an immediate stay on the demolition. 

The organization said authorities should pursue legal or administrative alternatives rather than a move that would deprive thousands of students of access to higher education.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board has also condemned the proposed demolition, describing it as a vindictive action that targets not only an educational institution but the educational advancement of India’s Muslim community.

The dispute has also revived scrutiny of the treatment of Azam Khan, one of India’s most prominent Muslim political leaders.

Since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party government led by Hindu militant monk-turned-chief minister Yogi Adityanath came to power in Uttar Pradesh, Khan, members of his family and institutions linked to him have faced a succession of criminal cases, investigations, property seizures and demolition actions. 

Khan himself has spent years in prison in multiple cases, while opposition parties and civil rights advocates have accused the state government of using administrative and legal processes to dismantle his political and institutional legacy. 

Supporters of the university argue that the demolition order cannot be separated from that broader campaign. They say the action extends beyond Azam Khan and now threatens the education and future of thousands of students who have no connection to the legal cases against the university’s founder.