J&K cops told to give booked AMU students’ details
SIT TO INVESTIGATE DETAILS OF PRAYER MEETING ORGANISED IN WANI’S MEMORY, TWO STUDENTS SUSPENDED
AGRA: The Aligarh police have written to their counterparts in Kashmir to verify details of the two Kashmiri students of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) booked for sedition on Friday. The duo was accused of raising anti-national slogans on the varsity campus on Thursday during a prayer meeting organised in the memory of Hizbul Mujahideen militant, Manan Wani, killed in an Army operation in Kashmir.
The Aligarh police have also constituted a special investigation team (SIT), headed by a gazetted officer, for probing the matter. The team has sought CCTV footage of the prayer meeting from the AMU administration.
In addition, on Friday evening, the AMU administration suspended Kashmiri students Wasim Ayoub Malik, PHD scholar in biochemistry department, and Abdul Haseeb Mir, Ph D scholar in history department, after they were booked for sedition at Civil Lines police station.
The university authorities have also issued show cause notices to seven other Kashmiri students for ‘misconduct’ and ‘indiscipline’. They have been given 48 hours to reply.
Besides, the varsity has also constituted a committee, comprising two deputy proctors and the assistant registrar, for inquiring into the details of the prayer meeting. “The Committee will probe into matters related to the prayer meeting and will also study the CCTV footage. It will submit its report within 72 hours,” said AMU spokesperson Shafey Kidwai.
Meanwhile, calm prevailed on AMU campus On Saturday. “Classes went on as usual. Preparations are also on for the ‘Sir Syed Day’ and the alumni meet ahead,” said Kidwai, adding, “On its part, the university has suspended Wasim Ayoub Malik and Abdul Haseeb Mir after they were booked for sedition.”
Malik and Mir were among the students who had attempted to organise (funeral prayer) for Wani on Thursday.
MATTER SENSITIVE, SAYS SP
SP (city) Atul Kumar Srivastava said that considering the sensitivity of the matter, no arrests had been made as yet and the case was being probed. “SSP Aligarh has constituted an SIT headed by the circle officer of Civil Lines Sanjeev Dixit. We have asked the Kashmir police in writing to inform us of details about the students charged with sedition, as they belong to Kashmir,” he told HT on Saturday. “We have also sought CCTV footage from the AMU administration to find out about the involvement of other students in raising anti-national slogans,” he said.
Wani was a research scholar in the geology department of AMU. He was rusticated from the varsity in January after it was revealed that he had joined Hizbul Mujahedeen for terrorist activities in Kashmir.
SSP Aligarh Ajay Kumar Sahni had said earlier, “A terrorist was shot down in an encounter with the army in J&K and there were reports about a prayer meeting being held for him in the university. Besides, a video surfaced wherein few students are seen raising anti-national slogans seeking ‘azadi’. On the basis of this, a case was registered at Civil Lines police station.”