LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh govt has appointed former minister Mohsin Raza as chairman of the Uttar Pradesh minority commission, filling the post that had remained vacant for more than two years.An office order issued by the minority welfare department on Sept 8 also named eight members to the commission. The appointments have been made by the governor under sections 3 and 4(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Minority Commission Act, 1994, as amended in 2013.The chairman and members will hold office for three years from the date of appointment or during the pleasure of the state government, whichever is earlier, according to the order.Besides Raza, those appointed as members are Sandeep Jain of Etah, Anshuman Kumar Singh Maisy of Shahjahanpur, Sardar Hannpreet Singh Bedi of Muzaffarnagar, Mohammad Aslam of Fatehpur, Sardar Parvinder Singh of Lucknow, Neha Khan of Ambedkar Nagar, Syed Seraj Abbas Rizvi of Azamgarh and Rumana Siddiqui of Lucknow.Raza, a BJP leader, has previously served as a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council and was minister of state in the first Yogi Adityanath govt. He handled portfolios including Minority Welfare, Muslim Waqf and Haj.The chairman and members’ posts had been lying vacant since the previous commission’s tenure ended in June 2024. The prolonged vacancies had left the statutory body non-functional, with more than 1,800 complaints reportedly pending. Many of these complaints concern issues faced by members of minority communities involving police and administrative authorities.
Pasmanda body flags lack of representation in UP minority welfare appointments
The All India Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz has expressed concern over the alleged absence of Pasmanda Muslim representation in recent appointments to Uttar Pradesh’s minority welfare institutions.National working president Shariq Adeeb Ansari said the community’s empowerment should be reflected in appointments and decision-making bodies, not just political discourse.“Pasmanda Muslims have historically remained under-represented in govt institutions and we urged the UP govt to review the composition of minority welfare bodies. We also appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure greater institutional representation for the community,” said Ansari.
