Al-Falah University founder now falls in land grab row
What's the story
Javed Ahmed Siddiqui, the founder and managing trustee of Al-Falah University, is under investigation for allegedly illegally acquiring agricultural land near Delhi's Madanpur Khadar. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested him last week on charges of terrorist financing. The university is also being probed for possible links to an ammonium nitrate-filled Hyundai i20 that detonated near Delhi's Red Fort on November 10, killing 15 people.
Land dispute
Allegations of land grab and forgery against Siddiqui
A group of people has accused the Tarbia Education Foundation, of which Siddiqui is the director, of forging documents to occupy their land illegally. According to NDTV, a preliminary inquiry found that 30 out of 65 people whose lands were allegedly stolen were dead when they "signed" documents from 2003 to 2004. Kuldeep Singh Bidhuri alleged his family's land was forged with the signatures of deceased members and claimed threats were used against them.
Ongoing battle
Family struggles and suspicious activities reported
Dharmendra Bidhuri also claimed his great-grandfather's land was re-registered using a power of attorney filed in 2004, despite the relative dying in 1972. The family has been fighting to reclaim their ancestral land, which they say was their support system. NDTV visited some allegedly stolen land parcels and spoke to locals who reported suspicious activities such as late-night vehicle movements and a sign for Tarbia Education Foundation being painted over. There has been intensified scrutiny on Siddiqui's financial dealings.
Financial scrutiny
Siddiqui's financial dealings and legal advisor's statement
The ED told a Delhi court last week that he received at least ₹415 crore in illegal payments from parents of students at his colleges, based on false accreditation claims. An old criminal case involving Siddiqui, accused of fraud worth ₹7.5 crore, has also been revisited. However, the university's legal advisor, Mohd Razi, denied all fraud charge allegations against Siddiqui. He said hiring decisions were made by the Vice-Chancellor and that Siddiqui had "no information" about Dr Muzammil Shakeel's recruitment.