Breaking his silence, former Vice-President Hamid Ansari on Saturday supported Aligarh Muslim University students’ demand for action against intruders who created a ruckus on the campus over the Jinnah portrait issue on May 2, when he was present there for an event, and said their peaceful stir against the transgression was commendable.
The event where Mr. Ansari was to be conferred the life membership of the Aligarh Muslim University Students Union was cancelled due to the alleged violence by right-wing Hindu activists. Dr. Ansari, an AMU alumnus, said the disruption, its precise timing, and the “excuse manufactured for justifying it” raises questions.
“The peaceful protest by the [AMU] students against this transgression is commendable. They must ensure that it does not in any way interfere with their academic pursuits. Their request that action be taken against the intruders and disruptors after a judicial enquiry is justified. The authorities of the AMU have made a similar request,” he said in a letter to the AMU Students’ Union.
