A group of Muslim organisations has condemned any attempt by the Centre to “strip” Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia of their minority status. At a briefing organised by the Students Islamic Organisation (SIO), general secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami-Hind Saleem Engineer said: “This looks like an attempt to polarise votes ahead of the West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. This move is aimed at creating division.” “There also seems to be an attempt to make this a Dalit versus Muslims issue, that too at a time when a Dalit student has committed suicide,” Mr. Engineer said. “The change in the Central government’s stance on the minority character of the AMU amounts to denial of historic facts. It went further to make similar remarks about Jamia Millia Islamia, which is tantamount to denying its minority character,” said a member of the SIO.
“Therefore, the SIO on behalf of the Muslim community demands entitlement of the community to “establish” and “administer” educational institutions of its choice under Article 30 of our constitution,” he added.
Student leaders from Aligarh Muslim University, Jamia Millia Islamia and Jawaharlal Nehru University were also present at the briefing.
Shehla Rashid Shora, vice-president of the JNU Students’ Union, said: “Setting up a minority institution is a constitutional right of any minority group. There are so many linguistic and religious minority institutions in India belonging to different linguistic and religious groups. Why is the government of India targeting Muslim minority institutions?”
Published - January 23, 2016 12:00 am IST
