“About AMU, Our Worst Fears are Confirmed”, says Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam, General Secretary AIMC

New Delhi, October 31: The worst fears of the Muslim community about Aligarh Muslim University have come true, All India Milli Council General Secretary Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam said here today commenting on the sine die closure of the university. He said the tragic turn of events came because of “the obstinacy of some so-called student leaders”.

The All India Milli Council had initiated a move on October 27 to defuse the volatile situation emerging out of the murder of a graduate student of the university on October 25 in a brawl with a drunken driver.

A group of nearly 200 students were agitating near the old University Guest House. Seeing that the build-up of a confrontation could derail the academic session, Dr. Manzoor Alam met a number of senior teachers and AMU administration officials on the night of October 26 to defuse the crisis.

Next morning, Dr. Alam met the Vice-Chancellor Prof. P.K. Abdul Aziz to work out a resolution of the imminent conflict. Meanwhile, office-bearers of the Aligarh unit of Milli Council met the agitationists to find a solution of the problem.

The V-C agreed to a few suggestions like constituting a committee consisting of the representatives of the agitating students, some teachers of their choice, a couple of Milli Council representatives and university officials.

The Vice-Chancellor said that the university administration had decided not to file criminal cases against some agitating students trying to disrupt academic activity, besides creating trouble at the railway station. The V-C hinted that the university administration might review this stance “if the agitation continues”.

The agitating students refused to negotiate a settlement as they said they would not relent until the V-C resigned. Aligarh Milli Council office-bearers told them that a Central government enquiry was already underway against the V-C and the demand of resignation was too unrealistic for any negotiator to consider viable. It was also unrelated to the murder. Obviously, the V-C would not oblige them by resigning to satisfy their whim.

On his part, the V-C told Dr. Alam that the next of kin of the murdered student would get due compensation. A member of the family of the deceased had been assured a job, he added. The university tried to commiserate with the family in other ways also.

Dr. Alam said the V-C had also given positive signals regarding other measures to address some of the demands of the students. Dr. Alam didn’t elaborate on the specifics of this.

A team of Milli Council was trying to reconcile the two sides till the university declared a sine die closure. Dr Alam said that outside vested interests and recalcitrant students were wholly responsible for disruption of academic activity. The university administration was not at fault.

Waseem Ahmad
P.R.O (AIMC)