AMU students march against proposed BJP event

Aligarh: Hundreds of students of Aligarh Muslim University on Friday took out a march against what they described as an attempt by BJP leaders to “polarise” society and claimed that Raja Mahendra Pratap’s name was being misused to “encroach” upon the autonomy of the central university. The BJP leaders have planned to celebrate the birth anniversary of Pratap, a freedom fighter and one of the land donors to the AMU campus, in front of the main gate of the campus on 1 December. [caption id=“attachment_1826677” align=“alignleft” width=“380” class=" “]  Representational Image. Getty Images[/caption] Addressing the rally, the president of the AMU Student’s Union, Abdullah Azzam, said, “We fully acknowledge and fondly remember the contributions of Raja Mahendra Pratap to this University. However, the BJP is just misusing Pratap’s legacy as an excuse for targeting this University and is hardly bothered about the truth behind this issue”. Azzam said, “the country is presently facing a crisis because of the BJP government’s attempts to polarise society by saffronising the entire educational system”. He said, “Raja Mahendra Pratap was a man who preached love all his life but it is a tragedy that his name is being misused to encroach upon the autonomy of this central university.” Vice Chancellor of the University, Lt. Gen. Zameer Uddin Shah, has written to HRD Minister Smriti Irani, warning of a potential “communal conflagration” and massive “student unrest” in the campus over the plans. In his letter, Shah, who served as Deputy Chief of Army Staff, said if “certain elements” go ahead with their plans to hold a demonstration at AMU on 1 December, “it could lead to massive student unrest at the campus”. PTI