Prof. Faisal Devji, Shaheen Group’s Dr. Abdul Qadeer to receive Sir Syed Excellence Awards by AMU
Aligarh: Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has announced the recipients of the 2025 Sir Syed Excellence Awards, which will be presented during the Sir Syed Day Commemorative Ceremony on October 17. The day marks the birth anniversary of AMU founder Sir Syed Ahmad Khan.
Prof. Shafey Kidwai, Director of the Sir Syed Academy and convener of the jury, informed that the International Sir Syed Excellence Award will be conferred upon Prof. Faisal Devji, Beit Professor of Global and Imperial History at Balliol College, University of Oxford.
Prof. Devji, a noted scholar in South Asian studies, Islam, globalization, and ethics, earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in Intellectual History from the University of Chicago and a B.A. (Double Honors) in History and Anthropology from the University of British Columbia.
Born in Tanzania, he has previously taught at Yale, Cornell, Harvard, and the University of Chicago. His well-known works include Waning Crescent: The Rise and Fall of Global Islam, Muslim Zion: Pakistan as a Political Idea, and The Impossible Indian: Gandhi and the Temptation of Violence. His essay Apologetic Modernity explores 19th-century Muslim engagement with modernity, particularly through the ideas of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and the Aligarh Movement.
The National Sir Syed Excellence Award will be presented to Dr. Abdul Qadeer, Chairman of the Shaheen Group of Institutions, Bidar, Karnataka in recognition of his significant efforts in advancing education among marginalized communities. Founded in 1989, the Shaheen Group today educates more than 20,000 students with a faculty strength of over 500 across 13 states. The group runs schools, PU and degree colleges, and provides coaching for NEET, JEE, and UPSC examinations, along with Hifz-ul-Quran Plus and Madrasa Plus programmes.
The awards carry cash prizes of ₹2,00,000 for the international category and ₹1,00,000 for the national category. They honour exceptional contributions in fields such as Sir Syed Studies, South Asian Studies, Urdu Literature, Medieval History, Social Reform, Communal Harmony, Journalism, and Interfaith Dialogue.
The winners were chosen by a distinguished jury chaired by Prof. Azarmi Dukht Safavi, with members Prof. Anisur Rehman, Prof. A.R. Kidwai, Prof. Imtiaz Hasnain, and Prof. Shafey Kidwai, and were finally approved by AMU Vice Chancellor Prof. Naima Khatoon.
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Bengaluru: Four arrested for housebreaking, threats, extortion; fake PSI among accused
Bengaluru: Vidyaranyapura police have arrested four persons, including a man posing as a Police Sub-Inspector (PSI), for allegedly breaking into a house, threatening the occupants, and extorting money while wearing police uniforms.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mallikarjuna, Pramod, Vinay, and Hrithik.
Police said the accused had hatched a plan to pose as police personnel, conduct fake raids, and extort money from residents by intimidation.
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According to the police, Mallikarjuna had failed the PSI examination twice and later falsely projected himself as a PSI. He allegedly conducted photo shoots in his hometown, Siraguppa, wearing a police uniform, baton, cap, and shoes, claiming to be serving as a PSI in Bengaluru.
On December 7, the four accused allegedly went to the house of Naveen in the Vidyaranyapura limits, threatened him with a stick and an iron rod, and claimed they had information that he was selling ganja. Under the pretext of searching, they allegedly extorted ₹87,000 through bank transfer, ₹53,000 in cash kept in the house, and ₹2,000 from his wallet.
Following Naveen’s complaint, Vidyaranyapura police registered a case and launched an operation, leading to the arrest of all four accused. Police have seized ₹45,000 in cash and the car used to commit the crime.
Further investigation is underway.
