The Aligarh police have lodged an FIR against 1,200 unnamed Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) students who took out a candlelight march against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act to show solidarity with the students who faced police action in the university and Jamia Millia Islamia.
Most of the participants were non-resident students. All were charged with Sections 188 and 341 of the Indian Penal Code for violating Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The FIR said students blocked a thoroughfare for an hour and did not move out of the university campus.
“Does it mean we could not protest peacefully even inside the campus,” asked a student who participated in the protest.
A senior university official said the road after the Sir Syed Gate was not a thoroughfare. “It has restricted entry and comes under the purview of the proctorial team. If Section 144 is to be implemented so strictly, how come weddings and other functions are being allowed to take place,” he wondered.
Protests on
Akash Kulhary, Senior Superintendent of Police, Aligarh, who has been praised for his handling of the law and order situation in the sensitive city, told The Hindu that he would look into the matter. “Our stance has not changed, we are not against peaceful protest. Even today, we have reports that some students are taking out a march inside the campus. If the complaint is not reasonable, we will revoke it,” he said.
The AMU administration has announced that the university will be opened in a phased manner after the winter break that was advanced by a week after the clash between the police and students on December 15. The university is scheduled to open on January 5. According to Mujib Ullah Zuberi, Controller of Examinations, the detailed schedule would be notified later.
“As many parts in Uttar Pradesh are still volatile, the administration feels that it could face a backlash from students coming from the districts which have seen violence between protesters and the police,” an official source said. “It is nothing new, though ... In the past too, after violent protests, the university has opened faculty-wise,” he added.
