Suspension of 2 AMU students revoked
AGRA: Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on Tuesday revoked the suspension of two students from Kashmir who were charged with sedition for alleged ‘anti-national’ activities on the campus and for trying to organise a prayer meeting for former AMU student and slain Hizbul Mujahideen militant Mannan Bashir Wani.
A case was registered against the two students on October 12 while seven others were issued show-cause notices for the incident, leading to protests by several other students on the AMU campus, and for appeals for the Centre to step in by political leaders including former Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti.
Several Kashmiri students on the campus had threatened to leave the university en masse on Sir Syed Day (October 17), commemorating its founder, if their demand for withdrawal of the suspension was not met.
Wani, a former PHD scholar at AMU, left research to join the militants in Kashmir, and was killed in an encounter with security forces on October 11
“On the recommendation by the fact-finding committee constituted by the university, the suspension of two PHD scholars from Kashmir, Wasim Ayub Malik and Abdul Haseeb Mir, has been revoked,” said Shafey Kidwai, the public relations officer at AMU.
“The committee looked into the incident on Thursday and was of conclusion that the conduct of the students does not amount to ground for suspension. And in view of this, the suspension of these two students has been revoked,” he added.
“The sedition charges against the two Kashmiri students from AMU continues and matter is being investigated,” Aligarh superintendent of police (city) Atul Kumar Srivastava said.
Earlier in the day, Kashmiri students staged a silent protest outside the Kennedy Hall, carrying placards reading ‘don’t play with our careers’, ‘being Kashmiri is not a crime’, and ‘free speech Is our right’ .
Former vice-president of the AMU students’ union Sajjad Subhan Rathar, on Friday met the university registrar Abdul Hamid with a five-member students’ delegation. The registrar told them that no innocent student would be punished.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Monday also demanded the withdrawal of cases against Kashmiri students at AMU.