The Aligarh District Magistrate (DM) Chandra Bhushan Singh on Friday ordered a magisterial enquiry into the reasons for violence in the Aligarh Muslim University on Thursday. Additional District Magistrate Bacchu Singh has been asked to conduct the enquiry and submit a report in two weeks.
The administration deployed heavy security in and around the campus even as hundreds of AMU students gathered in protest to one side of the locked Bab-e-Syed gate, named after the varsity’s founder. They demanded the arrest of members of the Hindu groups , who had allegedly forcibly entered the campus on Thursday to remove the portrait of Mohammad Ali Jinnah in the students union’s office.
District Magistrate Chandra Bhushan Singh said that the administration was taking steps to maintain peace. “It came to the administration’s notice that some anti-social elements could vitiate communal harmony by spreading fake news, rumours and videos. Hence, internet services have been suspended from 2 p.m. on Friday to 12 noon on Saturday,” an order issued by the DM said.
Several companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and Rapid Action Force (RAF) have been tasked with maintaining law and order.
Tensions simmer
Speakers at the students’ protest said their agitation was to press for the filing of a First Information Report (FIR) and the arrest of the Hindu groups’ workers that had broken law and order.
Sajjad S., AMUSU’s vice president, said, “Jinnah was a founder-member of the University Court and a donor as well. AMUSU gave membership to Jinnah in 1938. Pictures of all the life members of the AMUSU are placed in its office.”
Meanwhile, HJM State leaders Umakant and Avinash Rana, and HJMYV’s State president Amit Chaudhary reached Aligarh, and held a meeting at the local Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) office attended by over 150-200 workers.
Sanju Bajaj, HJMYV’s State secretary, said, “Our demand is very clear. Either you remove Jinnah’s portrait from the AMUSU office or we will remove it. We will also raise this issue at the national level.”
Thursday’s events led to violence in which over 30 AMU students and several police personnel were injured. Former Vice President Hamid Ansari, who was to be given life membership of the Aligarh Muslim University Students Union (AMUSU), had to return as the function could not take place.
