AMU tense as 12 students booked for sedition
ALIGARH: A total of 14 students from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) were booked for sedition after two groups of students clashed on the campus on Tuesday following a protest after an alleged attack on a TV news channel team.
The accused had allegedly raised anti-national slogans.
The Civil Lines police filed an FIR against the students based on a complaint by district president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM).
As a precaution, the district administration suspended internet services in the city till noon on Thursday while the Rapid Action Force was deployed at the university.
AMU proctor suspended eight students, including the grandson of a BJP MLA in Aligarh.
The members of the English TV channel were allegedly attacked over attempts to start live coverage of a meeting where political parties were invited to talk about representation of Muslims in the electoral process.
“Two student groups clashed on the university campus and one of them sat on dharna seeking action against their attackers. However, the other group alleged that some outsiders were participating in the agitation and should be removed. On this, the clash erupted,” said Ashutosh Dwivedi, SP (city).
“Firing also took place and a bullet hit the car of BJYM president Mukesh Lodhi who lodged an FIR against a dozen people, including office-bearers of the AMU Students’ Union and other students,” Dwivedi added.
“These AMU students fired at me, but I escaped as the bullet struck my car. They raised antinational slogans. I and my friend Manoj Sharma were beaten up but we managed to escape,” stated Mukesh Kumar Lodhi in his FIR.
“The case was registered against those who were named under various sections including that for sedition. The matter will be investigated, for which CCTV footages will be scanned. We have asked AMU administration to assist in identifying those seen in clippings,” stated Akash Kulhari, SSP (Aligarh).
Those named in the FIR included Nadeem Ansari, former president AMUSU, current students’ union president Salman Imtiaz, vice-president Humza Sufiyan and secretary Huzaifa Aamir. The others were Mashqoor Ahmad, Zaid Sherwani, Naved Alam, Arif Tyagi, Farhan Zubairi, Nazmul Sakhif, Zaki, Rihan, Asad and other unidentified AMU students.
They were booked on charges of sedition and under other sections of the IPC.
“The situation is under control after the police and administration acted swiftly. But internet services are being blocked so that anti-social elements are restricted from spreading rumours, which can affect law and order situation,” said district magistrate Chandra Bhushan Singh.
AMU students boycotted classes and staged a protest at the Bab-e-Syed Gate of the university against the sedition charges against 14 accused. Girl students from nearby hostels also joined in.
AMU proctor Mohd Mohsin Khan suspended eight students, including Ajay Singh, who had been vocal against AMUSU’s invitation to AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi. Ajay, a student of LLM at AMU, is grandson of BJP MLA (Aligarh rural), Dalveer Singh. “These students will not be allowed entry into the university campus,” stated Shafey Kidwai, spokesperson, AMU.
“Those suspended included Imran Khan, Abdul Mabood from B.Tech, Farhan Zubairi from social work and Adil Khan. They were suspended on the complaint of Manish Kumar, another AMU students. These four were prima facie found involved abetting violence and provoking others to create chaos,” Kidwai added.
“There was another complaint by a student Imran Khan and those suspended on his complaint included Ajay Singh from LLM, Manish Kumar and Pavan Jadaun from B Tech and Aman Sharma from M.Sc (chemistry) for allegedly creating law and order problems and disrupting communal harmony on the campus,” informed the spokesperson.
AMUSU president M Salman Imtiaz, vice-president Humza Sufiyan and secretary Huzaifa Aamir accused a section of students of disturbing the university’s atmosphere. “An effort is being made to create HinduMuslim divide on the campus in view of the Lok Sabha elections. We appeal for peace,” they said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a student leader from a right wing organisation, Saurabh Chaudhary, wrote a letter to the Prime Minister alleging that Hindu students were being targeted on the campus. In the letter, Chaudhary sought protection for the students.