Aligarh Muslim University VC warns HRD Minister Smriti Irani over ‘communal conflagration’

The Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University has written to HRD Minister Smriti Irani, warning of a potential “communal conflagration” and massive “student unrest” in the campus over plans to mark the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Raja Mahendra Pratap in the varsity premises.

In his letter to the minister, Zameer Uddin Shah said if “certain elements” go ahead with their plans to hold a demonstration at AMU on December 1, “it could lead to massive student unrest at the campus”.

However, the VC did not take the name of any party or outfit.

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The Vice Chancellor has pointed out the possibility of “communal conflagration if political machinations are not controlled”.

Some BJP leaders have decided to hold a demonstration on the campus on the birth anniversary of Raja Mahendra Pratap, an alumnus of AMU, whose family was closely associated with Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the founder of the institution.

“Some elements are threatening to hold a demonstration on the grounds that Raja Mahendra Pratap donated large tracts of land for establishment of AMU and should be honoured accordingly.
“We have always acknowledged that the Raja did lease 3.04 acres of land to AMU in 1929 at a rate of Rs. 2/- per annum. We are proud of this freedom fighter. However, there were a large number of other donors and the main campus of the AMU was built on a land procured from the British government originally belonging to the Aligarh cantonment,” he said.

Some local and state BJP leaders had recently claimed that AMU was built on land donated by Raja Mahendra Pratap but AMU authorities “failed to acknowledge his contribution”.

The Vice Chancellor said that in order to defuse the situation, they had agreed to hold a joint celebration on Raja’s birth anniversary

“On November 25, at the instance of some ex-servicemen of this district, who offered to mediate, I held a meeting with representatives of some outfits who are threatening to hold the demonstration.The idea was to defuse the situation and we agreed to hold a joint celebration of the Raja’s anniversary”.

However, the decision to observe the anniversary has now been revoked due to reports that there are internal differences within the group which was holding the protest, he said.

In the wake of the protests, families of other donors have jumped into the fray and are “demanding celebrations (in memory) of their ancestors,” Shah said.

The Vice Chancellor urged the HRD Minister to use her good offices to put pressure on those political leaders “who are issuing statements and advise them to exercise a sobering influence”.

“AMU does not want to involve in politics and we need your urgent and earnest support in tackling this threat to the law and order, he said.

Meanwhile, the Aligarh Muslim University Teachers’ Association (AMUTA) has also voiced concern over “politicisation” of AMU campus on the issue.

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to appropriate the legacy of Raja Mahindra Pratap, it said the late Raja stood for “values of secularism which are infact totally alien to non-exclusive policies of BJP”.

“There are certain forces which ironically enough have nothing to do with the Raja and are deliberately trying to communalise the situation by issuing irresponsible statements on the matter only to gain political mileage out of it,” AMUTA Secretary Aftab Alam said.

Raja Mahendra Pratap was the President of India’s first Provisional Government in exile established at Kabul in 1915. It was established with the help of some leading Muslim clerics.

“Raja Mahendra Pratap was a revolutionary social reformist and Jan Sangh had opposed him when he contested the 1957 LS election as an independent. BJP, the new avtar of Jan Sangh, is falsely claiming the legacy of ardent secular freedom fighter who was opposed to communal politics,” AMUTA said.

The AMU teaching community is “deeply hurt by so-called secret meeting between RSS leaders and the VC. Any meeting with representatives holding no regard and respect for Muslims is a direct affront to those articulating and fighting for the honourable place for Muslims and complete betrayal of trust posed by Indian Muslims in AMU.No one should have mistaken belief that AMU is just like any other central university.

“It is pride of Muslims of the Indian subcontinent and no one will be allowed to use this great seat of learning as their pawn,” it said.

AMUTA is also opposed to the idea of celebrating birth anniversary of any individual in the university under pressure of a political party merely because incidentally that party happen to be in power at the Centre.

SP MLA seeks CM’s intervention on proposed BJP protest

In a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, a Samajwadi Party leader has expressed serious concern over repercussions of the proposed protest by BJP at AMU campus.

The protest centers around a controversy brewed over the birth anniversary celebrations of Raja Mahendra Pratap.

The protest, scheduled for December 1, is “just a ruse to whip communal feelings up” on the pretext of “seeking due acknowledgement for the contribution to AMU by noted freedom fighter – the late Raja Mahendra Pratap”, City MLA Zafar Alam said in a letter to the CM.

Alam said the issue whether the late Raja, who was an alumnus of the Aligarh Muslim University, had “donated any piece of land to AMU or it had been leased out to the university can be settled in court if needed, but the manner in which BJP is raising it with “communal undertones” is not justified.

He appealed to the Chief Minister to direct the authorities to take “all necessary precautionary steps to ensure that no one is allowed to take advantage of this controversy.”