Zameer Uddin Shah

Lieutenant General Zameer Uddin Shah, PVSM, SM, VSM is a retired senior General of the Indian Army. He last served as the Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Personnel & Systems), Indian Army. After retirement, he served for some time as an administrative member on the bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal. He was the Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University.[1]

Lieutenant General
Zameer Uddin Shah
PVSM, SM, VSM
20th Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University
In office
17 May 2012 – 17 May 2017
ChancellorMohammed Burhanuddin
Preceded byProf. P. K. Abdul Aziz
Succeeded byProf. Tariq Mansoor
Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Personnel & Systems)
In office
1 October 2006 – 31 August 2008
PresidentA.P.J Abdul Kalam
Preceded byGurditar Singh
Succeeded byManbir Singh Dadwal
Personal details
Born (1948-08-15) 15 August 1948
Bahraich, United Provinces, India
RelationsNaseeruddin Shah (brother)
Vivaan Shah (nephew)
Imaad Shah (nephew)
ChildrenMohommed Ali Shah (son)
Alma materNational Defence Academy (B.Sc.)
Indian Military Academy, Dehradun
University of Madras, Chennai (M.Sc.)
Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore (M.Phil.)
Awards Param Vishisht Seva Medal
Sena Medal
Vishisht Seva Medal
Military service
Allegiance India
Branch/service Indian Army
Years of service1968–2008
Rank Lieutenant General
UnitRegiment of Artillery
CommandsIII Corps
Bengal Area
54 Infantry Division
170 Medium Regiment
Battles/wars1971 Indo-Pakistani War

Early life and education

Zameer Uddin Shah was born on 15 August 1948 in Bahraich district, Uttar Pradesh, India. An alumnus of St Joseph's College, Nainital, he is the brother of noted Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah. General Shah holds a Master of Science degree in Defence Science from the University of Madras and a Master of Philosophy degree from the Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya University, Indore.[2]

Military career

Shah attended the National Defence Academy in Khadakwasla, Pune. He was commissioned with the 185 Light Regiment (Camel Pack) on 9 June 1968. He also commanded 170 Medium Regiment (Veer Rajputs). Shah was later the Colonel Commandant of the Regiment of Artillery. He was also the Indian military attaché to Saudi Arabia.[3] He led the Army during the Gujarat riots of 2002.[4]

Vice-Chancellor of AMU

Lt Gen Zameeruddin Shah was the Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University from 2012 to 17.[5] From 2010 to 2015, Shah's appointment as the Vice-Chancellor of the university was the subject of a petition in the Allahabad High Court as the regulations of UGC state that Vice-Chancellors of a university are required to work as a professor in a university or in an equivalent post in an academic institute for at least 10 years before they can be appointed to the position in any Institute. The High Court dismissed their petition and allowed him to stay in his position, however petitioners later made an appeal to the Supreme Court.[6] In September 2016, the Supreme Court questioned the appointment of Shah as the vice chancellor of the university[7] and asserted that all universities in the country have to follow the rules prescribed in the UGC,[8] however he was allowed to serve in his position until the expiration of his term in May 2017. The petition was supported by a number of people and lobbies associated with the university who had also alleged that Shah's appointment, as well as many of the decisions made by him after coming to power, were a result of corruption.[8]

Controversies

In 2014, Shah banned girls from accessing the Maulana Azad Library, saying that the library would have, "four times more boys," if undergraduate girls were allowed to enter the library and that the library was already, "cramped for space." His comments were widely criticized and drew a response from the Indian Minister of Education, Smriti Irani, who was quoted as saying, "AMU VC's reported remark not only hurts as a woman but also agitates." Irani termed the remark an, "insult to daughters." The Ministry of Education also sought a response from the university.[9] He was also summoned by the Allahabad High Court, which labelled the ban a "case of gender-based bias." The Court directed him to take adequate measures to ensure the safety of women attending the library.[10] Shah later claimed that his comments were stretched out of proportion.[11]

He later banned reporters from The Times of India, which first reported the library ban, from entering the campus of the university.[12][13]

Shah has also attributed the "backwardness" of Muslims to keeping their women "enslaved" and not working during Ramzan.[14]

Bibliography
  • Shah, Zameer Uddin (2018). The Sarkari Mussalman. Konark Publishers Pvt. Ltd.

See also

References
  1. "Aligarh Muslim University -- Our Founder". www.amu.ac.in.
  2. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 December 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 November 2010. Retrieved 5 March 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Modi's rule had riots — but entrusted with nation, people change: Lt General Zameeruddin Shah - Times of India". The Times of India.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "VC's appointment row: Supreme Court notice to Aligarh Muslim University". The Indian Express. 1 December 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  7. "SC questions appointment of former army officer as AMU Vice Chancellor | ummid.com". www.ummid.com. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  8. "Will AMU vice chancellor be allowed to continue?". Financialexpress. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  9. "AMU VC Zameer Uddin Shah denies girls access to varsity library; HRD Minister Smriti Irani seeks explanation". 11 November 2014.
  10. "AMU library row: Allahabad High Court sends notice to V-C". India Today.
  11. "AMU vice-chancellor Zameeruddin Shah says he is not sexist". India Today.
  12. "AMU shoots messenger, bans TOI over library issue - Times of India ►". The Times of India.
  13. Rai, Piyush. "On a banning spree: AMU VC bansThe Times of India for 'negative reporting'". Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  14. "Muslims lagged behind because they kept women enslaved, says AMU V-C Zameer Uddin Shah". 5 October 2015.
  • Information from the Government of India website
  • Article from Times of India
  • Article from Indian Daily News and Analysis
  • Article about General Z.U.Shah by his younger brother Naseeruddin
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