Action sought against AMU Dean for 'threatening' students

An effigy of the varsity's Dean was burnt and a case has been registered after the protesting students of Aligarh Muslim University alleged that the newly-appointed Dean of Students’ Welfare, Mujahid Baig, has threatened them to call off their sit-in protest.

Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh):The students' coordination committee of the AMU on Thursday burnt an effigy of the varsity's Dean near Baab-e-Syed gate and demanded police action against him for allegedly threatening students opposing the CAA.

Former AMU Students' Union President and spokesman of the Students' Coordination Committee Faizul Hasan has lodged a complaint with Senior Superintendent of Police Akash Kulhari in this regard, the students' body said.

Read: AMU VC to file FIR against police for Dec 15 violence

In the complaint, Hasan alleged that while AMU Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor was on Wednesday persuading protesting medicos to resume attending classes, newly appointed Dean of Students' Welfare Mujahid Baig allegedly told them to be 'thankful' as only hands of some of the students were broken in the police action on December 15 and 'no one had been killed'.

Students of the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College are boycotting classes as part of the continuing anti-CAA protest at the campus.

The Dean's remarks infuriated the agitating students who felt that they were being threatened and pressurised to call off their stir.

Read: AMU reverts in Jamia, opposes citizenship law with 'Tarana'

When contacted, AMU spokesperson Shafey Kidwai admitted that some of the 'off the cuff remarks' by the Dean might have caused confusion.

"He had, however, no intention of threatening the protesting students but was just reminding them of some past events which the university had witnessed and which were even worse than today's crisis," Kidwai clarified.

He said that the Vice Chancellor's initiative was part of an ongoing outreach programme to persuade the protesting students in different faculties to start attending classes "even while continuing with their peaceful protest against what they feel is unjust legislation".