After student unrest on Thursday, Aligarh Muslim University remained tense on Friday.
The former students’ union president Salman Imtiaz, vice president Hamza Sufiyan, secretary Huzaifa Aamir and a cabinet member were detained by police on Thursday. The present union was dissolved in June this year after completing its term.
The outgoing members had demanded that the establishment of a police post on the university circle should be immediately stopped. They saw it as a move of the AMU administration to allow district police to interfere in the affairs of the campus. For a long time, a section of students has been painting Vice-Chancellor Tariq Mansoor as being close to the RSS and the ruling dispensation. They are also sought removal of registrar Abdul Hamid, who is an IPS officer.
On Thursday evening, the AMU administration rusticated Mr. Sufiyan for five years for repeatedly indulging in acts of indiscipline and suspended Mr. Aamir for creating ruckus on campus and putting a lock on the registrar’s office. They were also charged with destroying the university property.
‘Azamgarh lobby’
While the AMUSU members say that they were raising students’ demands, a source in the administration claimed that Mr. Sufiyan and Mr. Aamir belong to the ‘Azamgarh lobby’ and were nurturing political ambitions through the protest. “When they did not get support from senior students, they pulled high school students from ST High School out of their classes to join the protest,” the source said.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Abhishek said that Mr. Imtiaz and a cabinet member have been given bail but Mr. Sufiyan and Mr. Aamir have been sent to jail under Section 151 of IPC. “A unit of the Rapid Action Force has been posted outside the campus,” he said.
On Friday, the V-C in an appeal to students said that disciplinary action had been taken against some students only after repeated intolerable acts of indiscipline and criminal misconduct, and after they crossed the red line.
Responding to the charge of establishing a police post in the campus, Dr. Mansoor said, “it is sad to know that some students are involved in rumour-mongering about the installation of a police chowki inside the campus.”
