AMU mourns the sad demise of an illustrious alumnus, Mr S.M. Khan

ALIGARH : The Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor Prof Naima Khatoon has expressed a deep sense of grief on the ad demise of Mr S.M. Khan, a retired senior Indian Information Service officer of the Government of India, who passed away on November 17, 2024 in a Delhi hospital. He was 67.

Prof Khatoon conveyed condolences to the bereaved family of Mr Khan, and prayed for him a higher place in Jannah, adding that Mr Khan was a distinguished alumnus of AMU and brought accolades to his alma mater as well for his illustrious service record.

Born on 15 June 1957 at Khurja (Buland Shahar district) in Uttar Pradesh, he studied law and pursued LLM from Aligarh Muslim University. He was awarded the Chancellor’s Gold Medal for topping the University and went to University of Wales for a degree in Economics.

In his long stint with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as its spokesperson, Mr Khan regularly appeared on national and international media and dealt with several high profile cases.

Later, after serving as the Press Secretary to the then President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (2002 to 2007), he earned name by authoring a book on the President of India, titled “People’s President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam” (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2017), which provides insight into various facets of Dr. Kalam’s life.

He served as the Director, Directorate of Film Festival (DFF) for two years and represented India at the Cannes and Berlin Film Festivals. He also held key positions like the Director General, Press Information Bureau, the Press Registrar of India and the Director General of Doordarshan News for over 3 years.

He also made remarkable changes at Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi as the Director of its Residential Coaching Academy, and as the Dean, Faculty of Law.

In 2014, Mr Khan was elected as the Trustee, India Islamic Cultural Center, New Delhi and served the body as an elected Vice President in 2019. He was nominated to the AMU Court and to the Executive Council of the university by the President of India.

The AMU fraternity, including the faculty members and senior students, has expressed sorrow and grief on his demise and expressed solidarity with Mr Khan’s family and friends, whose loss cannot be made up ever.