The Aligarh Muslim University Vice-Chancellor, Tariq Mansoor, made a fresh and final appeal to students to appear in the examinations and attend classes on Wednesday.
“I appeal to all my students whose future is foremost on my mind, not to fall prey to rumours, propaganda spread by vested interests and to appear in the examinations and attend classes,” said Prof. Mansoor in a statement released by the public relations department of the university.
The university was shut down on December 15, a week ahead of schedule, when police entered the campus to control the students protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and police action in Jamia Millia Islamia. The university reopened on January 13 in a phased manner but a large number of students are boycotting classes and exams since then.
Prof. Mansoor added that the university cannot allow chaos, disorder and undesirable activities which would tarnish the name of the university.
“If the examination and classes are prevented from being held by some misguided elements there will be no justification of keeping the university open and allowing 23, 000 students to sit idle in the campus,” pointed out Prof. Mansoor, adding that even the parents of students would not want their wards to remain on the campus without academic activity and law and order issues could also arise.
He categorically stated, “This is my last appeal to all, to maintain peace and tranquillity in the campus and to please appear in the exams and attend classes from January 30, 2020. Already 18 days have gone by without any academic activity.”
The Vice-Chancellor said that the university has already constituted two committees to look into various issues.
‘Incidents being probed’
He reminded, “The incidents of December 15 are being investigated by National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on the orders of Hon’ble High Court of Allahabad and the next hearing is scheduled in Allahabad High Court for February 17. Let us wait for its decision.”
However, Salman Imtiaz, president, Aligarh Muslim University Students’ Union (2018-19), strongly condemned the V-C’s statement. “The AMUSU condemns false accusations against AMU students. We want to tell the nation that no misguided persons or outsiders are protesting on the campus,” countered Mr. Imtiaz.
Later in the evening, in what is being described as a last-ditch effort, Prof. Mansoor engaged with around 200 students in the engineering faculty but the discussion remained “inconclusive”, according to a source. A student, requesting anonymity, said the V-C continued to deflect or not answer difficult questions.
Meanwhile, the District Magistrate and the Senior Superintendent of Police of Aligarh called on the V-C on Wednesday. Sources said, after the Sharjeel Imam episode, the district administration was putting pressure on the V-C to announce a sine die.
