New Delhi: The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) has demanded the removal of Uttar Pradesh minister Thakur Raghuraj Singh from the state cabinet and the registration of an FIR against him over his remarks describing Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) as “hotbeds of terrorism” and threatening to shut down both institutions.In a statement issued on Wednesday (November 11), the JKSA condemned the remarks as communal and inflammatory, saying they risked stigmatising students and creating an atmosphere of fear and hostility on campuses.“It is disturbing that, instead of addressing the pressing challenges confronting India’s education sector, an elected representative is busy demonising universities,” the association’s national convenor, Nasir Khuehami, said.While addressing TV channels and a news agency on Tuesday (November 10), Singh alleged that the two universities were funded with “Hindu taxpayers’ money” but nurtured “traitors and terrorists”. He said he wanted to shut down both institutions and called for their replacement with what he described as a “Hindustan University”. He also demanded that the word ‘Muslim’ be removed from the universities’ names.Singh also targeted former Vice-President Hamid Ansari, a former AMU vice-chancellor, making sweeping remarks linking Muslim identity with disloyalty and terrorism.The association said both institutions had made significant contributions to India’s educational and intellectual landscape and urged the BJP leadership and Chief Minister Adityanath to condemn Singh’s remarks. Khuehami added that institutions like JMI and AMU belong to India, and their students are an integral part of the country’s future.“Elected representatives holding constitutional positions should be held accountable for statements that could stigmatise educational institutions and students,” the JKSA statement said, adding, “Their campuses are places of learning, research, debate, scientific inquiry and intellectual development, not targets for political vendetta or communal propaganda.”The controversial remarks by Singh, who is a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government were made months before the state’s Assembly elections, due in February-March 2027. “Students and educational institutions cannot be turned into convenient political punching bags whenever someone attempts to exploit religious sentiments,” said JKSA.