rediff.com Special: Allegations of anti-national activities cloud the Aligarh University

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The Rediff Special

Josy Joseph

'If one out of 28,000 students is a criminal, can our university be called criminal?'

Read from the beginning.
The Aligarh Muslim University, though known for its academic brilliance, has a history of violence.
The AMU started in 1875, as the MAO College. Today it has some 28,000 students.
There have been several instances of criminal activity on its campus. Brutal attacks, recovery of weapons and even kidnapping.
Now a section of the national media and certain political groups allege that some members of the student community supports Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence.
For their part, the students and AMU authorities feel there is a deliberate attempt to isolate the university, with its 18,000-odd Muslim students, and make it appear that it is a hub of anti-national activities.
"It is unfair to say that because Dr Mobin [whom the police say is an ISI agent] was a student of AMU, the university is bad. It is an individual act, not an institutional act," argues Vice-Chancellor Mohammad Hamid Ansari. "[Because of that] there is a widespread feeling of hurt and grievance."
A section of the media has not helped the university's cause. Quoting police sources, many newspapers published reports that said the university was a 'breeding ground for terrorists and anti-national activities.'
One vernacular newspaper even claimed that the ISI has been running a training camp on the campus for the last six-plus years.
ALIGARH district police chief Ramji Lal feels that many AMU students have links with the ISI. The university, his department holds, is "increasingly getting criminalised and communalised."
The students's claim is that such accusations are part of a nation-wide pro-Hindutva effort.
Despite the unrest, the campus has not lost any of its beauty. Green, it is interspersed with colonial structures. There is an uneasy calm, with hundreds of Rapid Action Force and police personnel patrolling the campus.
Hemant Kumar, a student leader, says it is "impossible for someone to conduct an ISI camp without anyone knowing about it. The allegation is part of a mischief."
The police counter with reports showing that they recovered arms from one of the hostel rooms on July 22.
To which the students reply: "The room was being occupied by some outsiders."
That, the police admits. The vice-chancellor says the authorities co-operated with the raid; and that the students did not oppose it.
There was yet another incident, wherein a student being held for ransom was rescued by the local police.
These are isolated cases that could have happened in any university, argues the vice-chancellor.
"The hawala case began with the arrest of a person from Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi. But did anyone say that JNU is a hub of anti-national activities?" asks a professor.
"Most newspapers make it a point to say 'ex-AMU student arrested' even if he had left AMU several years back," says Atif Rafir, an MBA student and leader. "Did anyone say in which university Harshad Mehta studied? So why this discrimination?"
THE Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bharatiya Janata Party are not ready to buy such arguments. Local leaders last week took out a procession in Aligarh town, demanding action against AMU, 'the hub of terrorists'.
"Such allegations when played up by the media will have an impact on our future. Who would consider us at par with students of other universities?" asks Shariq Nizami, an MBA student.
'There is a deliberate campaign to malign the Indian Muslims in general and Aligarh Muslim University in particular. The Muslims of India are being projected as anti-national. It is indeed a sad time for a democratic nation when 20 per cent of its population is branded anti-national and are asked to prove its nationalist credentials,' says a statement issued by the students.
"We are determined not to allow any unlawful activities on the campus. We have already formed vigilant committees to see that the hostels are not misused," says Hemant Kumar.
"If one out of 28,000 students is a criminal, how can our university be criminal?" he asks.
The students believe the anti-Muslim conspiracy is widespread. The younger brother of an AMU student was picked up by the Kanpur police, who suspected him of being an ISI sympathiser. In another incident, they say the Jammu and Kashmir police harassed a student's father, saying his son supported the ISI.
At Pahalgam, where Amarnath Yatris were shot dead recently, an AMU identity card was recovered from one of the killed terrorists. Students claim it was a fake, but the local police maintain that "it could well have been a real one".
University authorities and students now hold regular meetings to resolve the crisis. But certain vested interests seem determined not to allow peace in this institution that has served as a model for campuses in the Maldives, Pakistan and Bangladesh -- an institution that has for its alumni such personalities as the late President, Dr Zakir Hussain, and Frontier Gandhi Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan.
Concluded.

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	The Rediff Special *Josy Joseph* 'If one out of 28,000 students is a criminal, can our university be called criminal?' Read from the beginning. The Aligarh Muslim University, though known for its academic brilliance, has a history of violence. The AMU started in 1875, as the MAO College. Today it has some 28,000 students. There have been several instances of criminal activity on its campus. Brutal attacks, recovery of weapons and even kidnapping. Now a section of the national media and certain political groups allege that some members of the student community supports Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence. For their part, the students and AMU authorities feel there is a deliberate attempt to isolate the university, with its 18,000-odd Muslim students, and make it appear that it is a hub of anti-national activities. "It is unfair to say that because Dr Mobin [whom the police say is an ISI agent] was a student of AMU, the university is bad. It is an individual act, not an institutional act," argues Vice-Chancellor Mohammad Hamid Ansari. "[Because of that] there is a widespread feeling of hurt and grievance." A section of the media has not helped the university's cause. Quoting police sources, many newspapers published reports that said the university was a 'breeding ground for terrorists and anti-national activities.' One vernacular newspaper even claimed that the ISI has been running a training camp on the campus for the last six-plus years. ALIGARH district police chief Ramji Lal feels that many AMU students have links with the ISI. The university, his department holds, is "increasingly getting criminalised and communalised." The students's claim is that such accusations are part of a nation-wide pro-Hindutva effort. Despite the unrest, the campus has not lost any of its beauty. Green, it is interspersed with colonial structures. There is an uneasy calm, with hundreds of Rapid Action Force and police personnel patrolling the campus. Hemant Kumar, a student leader, says it is "impossible for someone to conduct an ISI camp without anyone knowing about it. The allegation is part of a mischief." The police counter with reports showing that they recovered arms from one of the hostel rooms on July 22. To which the students reply: "The room was being occupied by some outsiders." That, the police admits. The vice-chancellor says the authorities co-operated with the raid; and that the students did not oppose it. There was yet another incident, wherein a student being held for ransom was rescued by the local police. These are isolated cases that could have happened in any university, argues the vice-chancellor. "The hawala case began with the arrest of a person from Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi. But did anyone say that JNU is a hub of anti-national activities?" asks a professor. "Most newspapers make it a point to say 'ex-AMU student arrested' even if he had left AMU several years back," says Atif Rafir, an MBA student and leader. "Did anyone say in which university Harshad Mehta studied? So why this discrimination?" THE Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bharatiya Janata Party are not ready to buy such arguments. Local leaders last week took out a procession in Aligarh town, demanding action against AMU, 'the hub of terrorists'. "Such allegations when played up by the media will have an impact on our future. Who would consider us at par with students of other universities?" asks Shariq Nizami, an MBA student. 'There is a deliberate campaign to malign the Indian Muslims in general and Aligarh Muslim University in particular. The Muslims of India are being projected as anti-national. It is indeed a sad time for a democratic nation when 20 per cent of its population is branded anti-national and are asked to prove its nationalist credentials,' says a statement issued by the students. "We are determined not to allow any unlawful activities on the campus. We have already formed vigilant committees to see that the hostels are not misused," says Hemant Kumar. "If one out of 28,000 students is a criminal, how can our university be criminal?" he asks. The students believe the anti-Muslim conspiracy is widespread. The younger brother of an AMU student was picked up by the Kanpur police, who suspected him of being an ISI sympathiser. In another incident, they say the Jammu and Kashmir police harassed a student's father, saying his son supported the ISI. At Pahalgam, where Amarnath Yatris were shot dead recently, an AMU identity card was recovered from one of the killed terrorists. Students claim it was a fake, but the local police maintain that "it could well have been a real one". University authorities and students now hold regular meetings to resolve the crisis. But certain vested interests seem determined not to allow peace in this institution that has served as a model for campuses in the Maldives, Pakistan and Bangladesh -- an institution that has for its alumni such personalities as the late President, Dr Zakir Hussain, and Frontier Gandhi Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan. Concluded.
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