Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Zameer Uddin Shah, PVSM, SM, VSM is a retired senior

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

of the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

. 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 Armed Forces Tribunal is a military tribunal in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countr ...

. He was the

Vice-Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...

of Aligarh Muslim University.

Early life and education

Zameer Uddin Shah was born on 15 August 1948 in

Bahraich district Bahraich district is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and Bahraich town is the district headquarters. Bahraich District is a part of Devipatan Division. History According to some other historians in the middle age this pl ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

, India. An alumnus of

St Joseph's College, Nainital St. Joseph's College, Nainital is a day boarding and residential school in Nainital, Kumaon, India, providing private school education. Overview St Joseph's college was established in 1888. The site was previously the location of a seminary, r ...

, he is the brother of noted Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah. General Shah holds a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...

degree in Defence Science from the

University of Madras The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...

and a

Master of Philosophy The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil ...

degree from the

Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya Devi Ahilya University (informally abbreviated DAVV), formerly Indore University, is a State University. It was named after 'Ahilya Bai Holkar', the 18th century Queen and ruler of Indore, which was part of the Hindu Maratha Empire. Its jurisdi ...

University,

Indore Indore () is the largest and most populous city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is the only city to ...

Military career

Shah attended the

National Defence Academy The National Defence Academy (NDA) is the joint defence service training institute of the Indian Armed Forces, where cadets of the three services i.e. the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force train together before they go on ...

Khadakwasla Khadakwasla Dam is a dam on the Mutha River from the centre of the city of Pune in Maharashtra, India. The dam created a reservoir known as Khadakwasla Lake which is the main source of water for Pune and its suburbs. In the vicinity of Khada ...

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

. He was commissioned with the 185 Light Regiment (Camel Pack) on 9 June 1968. He is also commanded 170 Medium Regiment (Veer Rajputs). Shah was later the Colonel Commandant of the

Regiment of Artillery The Regiment of Artillery is a combat/fighting arm of the Indian Army, which provides massive firepower during all ground operations of the Indian Army. It is a successor to the Royal Indian Artillery (RIA) of British Indian Army, which itsel ...

. He was also the Indian military attaché to

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

. He had led the Army during the Gujarat riots of 2002.

Vice-Chancellor of AMU

Lt Gen Zameeruddin Shah was the

of Aligarh Muslim University from 2012–17.

Controversies

Gen Shah was quoted by the media as saying that there would be "four times more boys" in Maulana Azad Library if undergraduate girl students were allowed in. He later claimed that his comments were stretched out of the proportion. Lt. Gen Shah also attributed the backwardness of Muslims to keeping their women "enslaved" and not working during Ramzan. The HRD Ministry has responded to the Lt. Gen Shah's comment with Minister Smriti Irani 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 also sought a response from the university. The Allahabad High Court had issued a notice over reports of the university denying a section of students access to its central library calling it a case of gender-based bias, the court also issued a notice to Lt. Gen Shah. The Court directed that adequate measures must be taken so that girls can come to the library. He stoked another controversy aftermath the Maulana Azad Library issues by banning

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...

at the university campus which reported about the library issue at the first hand. Lt. Gen Shah is also embroiled in a controversy on his appointment as Vice-Chancellor. The Supreme Court has issued notice on petition challenging his appointment.

Bibliography

References

External links

*Information from the Government of India websit

*Article from Times of Indi

*Article from Indian Daily News and Analysi

*Article about General Z.U.Shah by his younger brother Naseeruddi

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shah, Zameeruddin Indian generals Indian Muslims Indian people of Pashtun descent Living people Zameer Uddin Shah Vice-Chancellors of the Aligarh Muslim University 1948 births Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal Recipients of the Sena Medal Recipients of the Vishisht Seva Medal Indian military attachés