By Manzar Bilal,TwoCircles.net
Deoband: Finally the journey of Maulana Ghulam Mohammad Vastanvi as the rector of Darul-Uloom Deoband, the historic and popular Islamic seminary in the entire sub continent, ended on Sunday when he was removed from the post at the meeting of Majlis-e-Shoora. Three-member committee constituted to probe the allegation against Vastanvi, submitted their separate reports at the meeting today.
Vastanvi, who was apparently very angry, left Deoband immediately after the result came out. He claimed that the report was incomplete and he has been removed from the post due to conspiracy hatched by a section of people at the seminary.
“The report failed to investigate about the identity of people who sponsored the student unrest in Darul Uloom. So it is incomplete and that is why I refused to quit on the basis of an incomplete report although I had said in February that I would quit irrespective of the contents of the report. On this Shura took up a proposal to sack me which was passed with eight people voting for it and four against it. I am leaving Deoband for now but I continue to be a member of the Shoora,” said Vastanvi just before leaving Deoband.
According to the sources at the seminary, the report of Mufti Manzoor Ahmed, one of the committee members, was critically against Vastanvi, while other two members— Maulana Mohammad Ismail and Maulana Malik Mohammadd Ibrahim—showed sympathy towards Vastanvi in their reports.
It all started when Vastanvi gave a statement praising Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in February this year which was later snowballed into a huge controversy leading to demands for his removal from the post. At that time the special meeting of Majlis-e-Shoora had decided to remove him from the post.
But Maulana Vastanvi had requested the Shoora not to remove him directly, because it will tarnish the dignity and respect he holds. He had suggested the Shoora to constitute a committee to look into the allegations. He promised that he himself will resign from the post whether the report came in his favor or not.
But later he changed his mind and said he would not initiate to resign. The two-day meeting of Majlis-e-Shoora started on Saturday (23rd July)and discussed several other issues but did not touch the issue of Vastanvi’s resignation. Last night when the members of Majlis-e-Shoora reminded him of his promise of resignation, he refused to do it.
Today when the meeting began he was asked to step down according to his promise but again he refused.Consequently, the voting was conducted in the second and final day of the meeting of the Shoora today. According to reliable sources, 9 members voted against him while four members including him casted their votes in the favor. Interestingly, Maulana Mohammad Ismail and Maulana Malik Mohd Ibrahim also voted against Vastanvi because they were angry with him as he didn’t resign as he had promised.
Acting Rector Maulana Abul Qasim Nomani was declared as full time rector of the seminary for immediate effect. Nomani, who is in his 60s, was appointed as Acting Rector in February this year.
The members who attended the meeting were (1)Maulana Ghulam Mohd Vastanvi,(2)Maulana Abul Qasim Nomani,(3)Maulana Mufti Manzoor Ahmed,(4)Maulana Mohd Yaaqub,(5)Hafiz Mohd Siddiqui,(6)Maulana Azhar Nomani,(7)Maulana Nizamuddin,(8)Maulana Badruddin Ajmal,(9)Maulana Abdul Aleem Farooqi,(10)Maulana Mohd Ismail,(11)Maulana Mohd Ishtiyaq,(12)Maulana Malik Mohd Ibrahim(13)Mufti Saeed Ahmed Palanpuri.