Al Falah University founder’s home faces demolition amid intense scrutiny

The Al Falah University has come under increased scrutiny as authorities in Madhya Pradesh have issued a demolition notice for the ancestral home of the university’s founder, Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui.

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On Thursday (20 November), the Military Headquarters of War (MHOW) Cantonment Board in Indore affixed a notice instructing Siddiqui’s family to vacate the property within three days, after which demolition proceedings would commence.

Al Falah founder under scanner

The house, situated in Mhow and registered in the name of Siddiqui’s father, the late Hamad Ahmed Siddiqui, who served as the town’s Shahar Qazi for nearly two decades, was declared illegal nearly 30 years ago, officials said.

Cantonment Chief Executive Officer Vikas Kumar Vishnoi stated that the property was originally allotted under a British-era grant allowing only residential use.

Following reconstruction in 1995-96, Jawad Siddiqui applied for registration and ownership transfer, but authorities ruled that the four-storey building violated the provisions of the Cantonment Act.

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“Three notices were issued between 1996 and 1997 for the removal of unauthorised construction,” Vishnoi said, adding that the latest action follows a recent review reaffirming the property’s illegal status.

Financial irregularities to fore

The demolition notice comes at a time when Siddiqui and the university he founded are already under national scrutiny over alleged links to terrorism and financial irregularities.

The Red Fort blast of November 10, which killed over a dozen people, has led investigators to three doctors affiliated with Al Falah University, including the alleged suicide bomber Dr Umar un-Nabi and his associates Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganaie and Dr Shaheen Shahid.

On the financial front, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Siddiqui on Tuesday (November 18) after conducting raids at more than 25 locations in Delhi and Faridabad.

He was remanded to custody for 13 days on Wednesday (November 19), after the ED alleged that Al-Falah University had amassed Rs 415.1 crore in non-donation income, which it claims are “proceeds of crime”, accusing the institution of enriching itself “at the cost of students’ trust, future and legitimate expectations”.

Meanwhile, Indore police intensified their action, arresting Jawad’s brother, Hamood Ahmed Siddiqui, three days ago in connection with five pending cases involving fraud and rioting.

Classes resume under heavy security

At the university’s Faridabad campus, first-year medical students resumed classes on Thursday under tight police security. Parents, many of whom travelled from cities across northern India, expressed concern and apprehension over sending their children back to campus.

Students reported that earlier this week, the vice-chancellor and faculty conducted counselling sessions, urging them to remain calm and not to believe rumours. The administration also advised students to avoid interacting with outsiders and refrain from posting unverified information online.

Also Read: Faridabad’s Al Falah University distances itself from arrested terror doctors

For many first-year students, Thursday marked their first in-person classroom session following Foundation Week, held just before the Red Fort incident.

Approximately 900 students have enrolled in the MBBS programme. While senior classes have continued uninterrupted, campus life has undergone a visible transformation.

Investigative teams have visited the campus several times this week, questioning students who had interacted with the accused doctors. “Anyone who attended Dr Umar’s classes had to give statements,” said a senior student.