Muslim groups: Will take over Ismail Yusuf College if land not handed over to community

Ismail Yusuf College was established in 1930 in Jogeshwari through an endowment made by Sir Mohammed Yusuf Ismail in 1914. The aim for setting up the college which was spread over an area of 120 acre was to provide and promote higher education among the Muslims, but students belonging to other religious communities were also to be admitted.

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However, in the last 85 years the land of the college has shrunk, with parts being given to facilitate infrastructure projects while a large chunk has been encroached upon. Muslim organisations claim that with the educational status in the Muslim community being precarious the institute should be used to facilitate growth of education in the community. Various petitions have been filed in the Court to reverse the allotments that have been made by the state government.

The institute is presently run under the aegis of the Anjuman-I-Islam educational institution and Muslims enjoy a 20 per cent reservation during the admission state. The state has however decided that it will allot a part of the 65 acre campus for a National Law University and an educational hub.

Muslim groups have claimed that the decision is part of a plan to change the character of the institute and members plan to meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray and MNS president Raj Thackeray to espouse their cause.

“The Muslim community has a rightful claim on this land and it should be given to the community,” Aamir Idrisi, president, Association of Muslim Professionals, said.

A senior state government official has meanwhile stated that the land belonged to the state and it was well within its right to take a decision on what it wanted to do with it.