AMU students to continue peaceful anti-CAA agitation at campus

Students of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on Sunday said that they would continue holding peaceful anti-CAA agitation at the campus.

This was decided at a meeting of the general body of the students on Saturday evening and a “coordination committee” was formed to decide the future course of the ongoing stir against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

In a statement, a coordination committee spokesperson said that from Monday students would hold a dharna near Bab-e-Syed gate everyday between 10 am and 4 pm.

The AMU was one of the sites of protests against the amended citizenship law and alleged police action on students of Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia.

At least 19 people were killed in widespread clashes during the protests across the state.

Meanwhile, the Aligarh Police has asked the university to take action against those protesters who are not students but are still active in the ongoing protest.

The letter said that these people, dubbed as “brains behind the December 15 protest which led to violence”, should not be allowed entry into the campus.

The AMU is scheduled to reopen after the winter vacation on January 6.

The AMU Teachers’ Association (AMUTA) has expressed concern over the decision of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) to “belatedly” file a first information report (FIR) on December 23 against 1,000 unidentified AMU students for the violent protest.

In a press release, the AMUTA said the move appeared to be “malafide and motivated” and was in contrast to Aligarh SSP Akash Kulahari’s efforts to restore confidence by building bridges with all sections.

RAF commandant Piyush Kumar Kuldhar, however, told mediapersons, “The purpose behind the FIR is not to harass students. As a matter of routine, whenever any personnel is injured or if any ammunition is used, we file such reports with the police station concerned. This is mandatory.” In a related development, the AMU on Sunday officially denied that Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor had refused to meet Harsh Mander and 13 other activists who were part of a fact-finding team when they had visited the campus last week.

AMU spokesman Omar Peerzada said there was no prior information about Mander’s visit.

The VC was in Delhi on that day and Mander met the Registrar, Controller and Proctor during his visit. Hence, the allegation that the VC did not deliberately meet Mander is “untrue”, he said.