Aligarh Muslim University students to hold agitation to restore minority status for varsity

The newly-elected president of the Aligarh Muslim University Students Union, Faizul Hasan, has announced that the students would launch a movement for the "restoration" of the varsity's minority status.

"Within the next 30 days, the agitation would reach New Delhi. The first step would be a dharna at Jantar Mantar," Hasan said in his speech at the formal installation ceremony of students union yesterday. He lashed out at the Modi government for ignoring the "sensitivities and rights" of minority communities in the country.

"Indian Muslims have full faith in the judicial system of the country but the community has also full right to fight for its democratic rights," he said. He said that "communal polarisation and fragmentation of society" would ultimately grievously weaken the nation. Hasan also alleged that there is rampant corruption and nepotism in the university administration.

Speaking on the occasion, AMU Vice Chancellor Lt General Zameeruddin Shah said that he would do his best to fulfil all the "just demands" of the students. Shah said that though his tenure would be ending shortly and the university was facing obstacles in many spheres, he would continue to fight for the betterment of the institution till the last day of his tenure.

The present election to the students' union would serve as the benchmark in the future because of the peaceful manner in which the elections were held, he added. The results of the AMU students' union elections were declared recently, in which for the first time in the AMUSU history, three out of ten elected members of the union cabinet are girls.