Severe clashes erupt in Aligarh University over removal of Muhammad Ali Jinnah portrait
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LUCKNOW - At least three students were injured in police lathicharge at the prestigious Aligarh Muslim University, which has been witnessing a row over a decades-old photograph of Pakistan founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
Earlier today, Rapid Action Force of the Uttar Pradesh police was deployed after the students and some right-wing activists almost came to blows. The right-wing activists were demanding the removal of Jinnah's photo, to which the students objected.
In the evening, hundreds of students tried to march to the local police station, where the activists had been confined. Unable to control them, the RAF men used force, sources said. The clash took place at the university's main gate.
At the heart of the clash is a photo of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, which was hanging at the University's student union hall for years.
On Monday, Satish Gautam, the BJP lawmaker from Aligarh, wrote to university vice-chancellor Tariq Mansoor, asking why the portrait was allowed. AMU spokesman Shafey Kidwai responded that Jinnah was a founder of the university and was granted life membership of the student union.
"Traditionally, photographs of all life members are placed on the walls of the student union," he told news agency Press Trust of India. "Jinnah was accorded life membership of the AMU students' union in 1938. He was the founder member of the University Court in 1920 and also a donor," he added.
The controversy coincided with a visit by former Vice-President Hamid Ansari, who was a professor as well as a vice chancellor of the university.
Hundreds of students of the university are currently sitting at the main gate of the university, demanding action against members of right-wing organisations.
