Violence at AMU over Jinnah portrait, university registers complaint against Hindu Yuva Vahini activists
The university has registered a complaint against activists belonging to the Hindu Yuva Vahini for raising 'objectionable slogans' against the university near the administrative block.
By: Express Web Desk | New Delhi | Updated: May 2, 2018 10:12:34 pm
Uttar Pradesh Police personnel deployed outside Aligarh Muslim University gate during students’ protest in Aligarh on Wednesday. (Source: PTI) District magistrate Chandra Bhushan Singh said two youths were injured in the police action. Photographs of injured students are doing the rounds on social media.
Earlier, members of the Hindu Yuva Vahini, a right-wing organisation, entered the campus in afternoon and clashed with university students. They were then taken away to a police station from where they were later “rescued” by other protesters, AMU student union members said.
Aligarh MP Satish Gautam has two days ago written to AMU Vice-Chancellor seeking explanation about the presence of Jinnah’s portrait in the campus.
Meanwhile, the university has registered a complaint against activists belonging to the Hindu Yuva Vahini for raising ‘objectionable slogans’ against the university near the administrative block. The complaint was registered with the Civil Lines police station just hours before a lecture was to be delivered by former Vice-President Hamid Ansari, who is also the former Vice-Chancellor of the university.
As per the complaint, security guards posted at the university gate apprehended 4-5 activists and handed them over to the police. Soon after, another group of activists, allegedly carrying pistols and sticks, arrived at the scene and raised ‘objectionable slogans.’
(With PTI inputs)
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The Times of India
Violence at AMU over Jinnah portrait
PTI | May 2, 2018, 22:37 IST
Uttar Police personnel use gas shells to disperse the Aligarh Muslim University students protesting at the gateAt least six people were injured when the police lobbed teargas shells to disperse AMU students, demanding the arrest of protesters who had earlier barged into the campus shouting slogans.
Hospital sources said about 20 students were treated with injuries, though a university official gave the lower mumber.
A function to grant life membership of the student union to former vice president Hamid Ansari, scheduled for this evening, was called off and he returned to Delhi.
The AMU students alleged that the protesters were from Hindu Yuva Vahini, and were allowed to leave a police station even after being initially detained.
Earlier today, a BJP MP demanded the expulsion of Uttar Pradesh Labour Minister Swami Prasad Maurya from the party for praising Jinnah, which the minister denied he ever did.
Media reports had said that the minister called Jinnah a `mahapurush' (a great personality) from the time of undivided India.
Maurya reportedly praised him when asked to comment on the row sparked by another BJP MP Satish Gautam, who had objected to Jinnah's portrait being displayed at AMU.
The minister told reporters today that he had not made any statement even as Harnath Singh Yadav, a Rajya Sabha member from his own party, targeted him.
"Government minister Swami Prasad Maurya who had called Muhammad Ali Jinnah -- a heinous criminal who trifurcated the country -- a great personality should retract his statement, apologise or be immediately removed from the party," Yadav tweeted in Hindi.
But when asked by reporters to clarify his remarks on Jinnah, Maurya said in Unnao that the media was wrong.
"Koi bayaan nahi hai, yeh bayaan aap log baat ka batangar bana ke badhaate hai (There was no statement. You are making a mountain of a molehill)," he said.
Yadav had also tagged his anti-Maurya tweet to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, UP BJP chief Mahendra Nath and party leader Sunil Bansal.
The Rajya Sabha MP from UP said in another tweet, "The photograph of Jinnah who trifurcated India can be put up at AMU but Bharat Mata ki Jai, Vandemataram cannot be said."
The violence erupted hours after Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi expressed hope that the portrait issue would be resolved with a "sensitive approach".
"The AMU administration and the students there are patriotic and there is no question of raising questions over their patriotism," the Minority Affairs Minister said.
AMU proctor Mohsin Khan said that a small group of Vahini activists arrived around 2 pm at the University Circle, a short distance from the vice chancellor's office.
The security staff managed to overpower the slogan-shouting group and took the protesters to Civil Lines police station and handed them over to the police.
But later, a large group arrived at the police station and managed to take away their supporters, according to the AMU.
This group then marched towards the Bab-e-Syed gate and the few policemen there failed to prevent them from entering the campus. City Superintendent of Police Atul Srivastava said security around the campus has been tightened.
AMU spokesman Shafey Kidwai had defended the portrait, apparently hanging at AMU for decades, saying that Jinnah was a founder member of the University Court and granted life membership of the student union.
"Traditionally, photographs of all life members are placed on the walls of the student union," he said.
Student union president Mashqoor Ahmad Usmani said they strongly opposed the two-nation theory and the creation of Pakistan, which was a result of the movement led by Jinnah.
"There is no question of being inspired by such a separatist ideology." He told PTI.
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Hindustan Times
Jinnah portrait protesters should also oppose Godse temples: Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar to twitter to voice his opinion on the Jinnah portrait controversy at the Aligarh Muslim university
india Updated: May 03, 2018 14:26 ISTPress Trust of India, Mumbai
Police tries control the situation after a clash between two groups at Aligarh Muslim University on Wednesday. (PTI Photo)
Veteran lyricist-screenwriter Javed Akhtar on Thursday said it is “shameful” that the portrait of Muhammad Ali Jinnah hangs in Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) but people, who are protesting against it, should also oppose the “temples made to honour Godse”.
The 73-year-old writer took to twitter to voice his opinion on the ongoing controversy at the Aligarh university which was triggered after Aligarh MP Satish Gautam objected to the Pakistan founder’s picture on the walls of the AMU student union office.
AMU spokesman Shafey Kidwai had defended the presence of the portrait, which has apparently been hanging there for decades, saying that Jinnah was a founder member of the university court and was granted life membership of the student union. Traditionally, photographs of all life members are placed on the walls of the student union office.
The row sparked violence at the campus on Wednesday which resulted in at least six people being injured when the police lobbed teargas shells to disperse AMU students, who were demanding the arrest of the protesters who had earlier barged into the campus shouting slogans.
The AMU students alleged that the protesters were from Hindu Yuva Vahini, and were allowed to leave a police station even after being initially detained.
(The story has not been modified from its original version, only the headline has been changed)
The 73-year-old writer took to twitter to voice his opinion on the ongoing controversy at the Aligarh university which was triggered after Aligarh MP Satish Gautam objected to the Pakistan founder’s picture on the walls of the AMU student union office.
Jinnah was neither a student nor a teacher of Alig Its a shame that his portrait is there The administration n students should voluntarily remove it from there n those who were protesting against this portrait should now protest against the temples made to honour Godse.— Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) May 3, 2018
AMU spokesman Shafey Kidwai had defended the presence of the portrait, which has apparently been hanging there for decades, saying that Jinnah was a founder member of the university court and was granted life membership of the student union. Traditionally, photographs of all life members are placed on the walls of the student union office.
The row sparked violence at the campus on Wednesday which resulted in at least six people being injured when the police lobbed teargas shells to disperse AMU students, who were demanding the arrest of the protesters who had earlier barged into the campus shouting slogans.
The AMU students alleged that the protesters were from Hindu Yuva Vahini, and were allowed to leave a police station even after being initially detained.
(The story has not been modified from its original version, only the headline has been changed)
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The Wire
For Jinnah Portrait Hanging Since 1938, Hindutva Activists Attack AMU Students
As a result of the attack, which also saw the local police use tear gas and lathis against the students of the university, an event where former vice president Hamid Ansari was to speak had to be cancelled.
Ansab Amir Khan
Aligarh: Scores of students at Aligarh Muslim University were injured Wednesday afternoon after armed activists from the Hindu Yuva Vahini descended on the campus with police backing to violently demand that a portrait of Mohammad Ali Jinnah – which has been hanging inside the students’ union hall for 80 years – be taken down.
After Jawaharlal Nehru University, Hyderabad University and Delhi University’s Ramjas College, AMU has thus become the latest university to come under the radar of Hindutva groups protesting what they claim are “anti-national” activities on campus.
Jinnah was active in the Indian freedom struggle until his Muslim League developed the ‘two nation theory’ that eventually led to the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan.
Hours before the former vice president of India, Hamid Ansari, was to visit AMU for an event, some 30 activists of the Hindu Yuva Vahini, accompanied by uniformed policemen, came to Bab-e-Syed – the central gate of AMU. They shouted slogans like ‘We will not let such respect for Jinnah pass in India”, “If you want to remain in India, you must say Vande Mataram’, “Vande Mataram, Jai Shri Ram!’
The policemen made a pretence of trying to stop the march some 50 yards from the gate. The HYC activists then waved pistols and other weapons in the air, endangering the lives of students.
As students’ union office bearers and other students came to the gate, a mild altercation ensued and six of the HYV activists were handed over to the police. The police reportedly did not file an FIR, and released the accused.
Soon, a large gathering of students collected at the gate to protest what they said was the unwillingness of the police to uphold the law.
The police, in turn, returned with reinforcements, as did the Hindu Yuva Vahini, and what followed, say students, was a lathi charge on the AMU community with HYV activists pelting stones as well. The students ran as the police chased after them inside the campus. More than 65 students were severely injured, including the president of AMUS, Maskoor Ahmed Usmani, secretary Mohammad Fahad, and former vice president Mazin Zaidi, who were taken to hospital.
After being unconscious for more than two hours, Usmani said, “This was a pre-planned, organised attack by the police and Sangh parivar members, against the institution, as well as the students. The police could not handle 30 Hindu Yuva Vahini members, but had no qualms in brutally beating up hundreds of innocent students.”
Later in the day, the university said it had decided to cancel the program for which Ansari had been invited.
Jinnah portrait dates back to 1938
The ‘provocation’ for Wednesday’s assault was a manufactured controversy surrounding a portrait of Mohammad Ali Jinnah hanging in the Union Hall of the AMU Students’ Union. The portrait is not new, nor has it recently been unveiled, contrary to the disinformation being spread on social media, but dates back to before the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan.
BJP MP Satish Gautam, who represents Aligarh, recently tried to stir up a controversy over Jinnah’s portrait and other leaders from the Sangh parivar leapt int the fray, accusing AMU of harbouring pro-Jinnah and pro-Pakistan views even today. The reality, as Mohammad Sajjad, a professor of history at AMU, explains, is that the portrait has been in the Students’ Union Hall since 1938, when Jinnah was awarded life membership of AMUSU. The first person to have been documented as a life time members, was Mahatma Gandhi. In later years, Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru, C.V. Raman, Jai Prakash Narayan, and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad have also been awarded with the same among many others whose portraits still adorn the walls.”
“Those who are asking for removal of this portrait in the wake of the events of 1947 and Jinnah’s “two nation theory” do not know about the integrity of not changing historical facts and artefacts, as is clear by their attitude towards historical monuments, and modern syllabi. AMU, unlike the government, does not believe in distorting history to its favour.” he said.
Usmani said that those attacking AMU should remember that V.D. Savarkar, a revered figure within the RSS, was “head of the Hindu Mahasabha for years and boycotted the Non Cooperation movement and formed alliances in two provinces along with Jinnah’s Muslim League before partition.”
