Internet has finally started working in the Aligarh Muslim University. Campus remains largely unaffected and is perfectly normal. The areas adjoining AMU and other Muslim majority areas around Aligarh are affected by the tension. Local units of ABVP, Hindu Yuva Vahini had marched in these Muslim dominated areas shouting slogans like ‘Bharat mein rahna hai to Yogi-Modi kahna hai’ (If you want to stay in India, keep chanting Yogi and Modi’s name). If this is not stopped now, it can take a more violent turn.
The UP Police, BJP and Republic TV have all teamed up against the students. Here are some of many version that I have learned.
1) Republic TV journalist tweeted that she was reporting on a story that had nothing to do with AMU. Somebody should ask her if she wasn’t reporting about AMU, then why was she inside the campus premises. Republic TV crew went with the BJP men to the local police station and then to meet the SP.
2) The SP of Aligarh has reportedly said, ‘All AMU students are involved in criminal activities’. The students complaint had not been accepted by the police as of now.
3) The BJP men at first said that they had come to rescue the Republic TV crew, and this theory was at first seconded by the Republic crew. Later, these BJP men said that they had come to stop Asaduddin Owaisi from entering the campus. We told them that Asaduddin Owaisi was not supposed to come to the campus. Then again they changed their version saying that they came to prevent Hindu-Muslim riot happening inside the campus premises. And now this Mukesh Kumar Lodhi, who had filed the FIR against us is saying that he was going to district court for some personal works and he was attacked by AMU students when he was passing by the campus.
The police is planning to drop the charges of sedition. They had to do it because they had named people in the FIR who weren’t even in Aligarh when this happened.
Nevertheless, the protest is more alive than ever. Students’ union is doing a great job in managing the students and whole scenarion. The Women’s College students’ union is equally participating in the protests.
