3 min readDehradunJul 27, 2026 05:20 AM IST
Amid the controversy over the notice served by the authorities in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur district for the demolition of most of the buildings on the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University campus, Uttarakhand’s Deepak Kumar, popularly known as ‘Mohammad’ Deepak after he stood up for a Muslim shopkeeper being heckled by a mob, has appealed for the university to be “saved”.
The Rampur Development Authority had served a notice on July 15 to demolish 38 of the 40 buildings at the university, giving it time till August 5, claiming they were constructed without permission from the competent authority.
With all but the medical college building and academic block potentially facing demolition, the action would virtually shut down Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, spread over 250 acres and founded almost 20 years ago by senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan.
Appealing to people over a video with a hashtag #savejauharuniversity, Kumar introduced himself as Deepak Kumar aka Mohammad Deepak Kumar.
At Mohammad Ali Jauhar University. (Express photo by Maulshree Seth)
“This university was set up in 2006. Now, the government has issued an order for its demolition, and it will be razed by a bulldozer. I would like to appeal to my friends that we need to save this university because this institution is about our children’s future. If 38 of the 40 structures are razed, little will be left to save in the university,” he said.
He had shot to the limelight after his confrontation with a mob that allegedly heckled an old shopkeeper in Uttarakhand’s Kotdwar in January. During the incident, when Kumar was asked his name, he had said, “Mohammad Deepak”. The incident followed multiple FIRs, including against him, and an alleged boycott of the gym that he ran.
Student Protest outside Mohd Ali Jauhar University, Rampur. (Express Photo)
In Rampur, the potential demolition of the university buildings has caused anxiety among its more than 2,000 students. Several students are more than a week into an indefinite sit-in outside the university’s main gate, demanding the demolition order be withdrawn.
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As the protest gathered momentum, political parties stepped up their campaign over the issue. A day after the Congress raised the matter, AIMIM organised protest marches in different parts of the state against the proposed demolition.
Muslim-majority Rampur district has no other university, with the nearest being Government University and Guru Jambeshwar University in Moradabad, 50 km away.