As AMU was preparing to welcome Governor of Uttar Pradesh B.L. Joshi for the inauguration of Centre of Excellence in Material Sciences and a hostel for Academic Staff College, there were moves to nullify the efforts too. The murder of a student, Shahnawaz Alam in a hotel near the railway station threw the university into turmoil once again after two years of peace.
In 2007 also three students were murdered in a row and students had burnt down many important buildings of the university, including V.C Lodge. Arson and looting had forced the authorities to declare sine die. This time also the murder of Shahnawaz was exploited to rally the students against the Vice-Chancellor. A group of students adopted confrontational attitude and demanded resignation of Vice-Chancellor, Proctor and Dean, Student’s Welfare. Senior teachers held several rounds of talks with misguided students but failed in bringing them to table for talks.
Vice-Chancellor, Prof. P.K. Abdul Azis himself issued an emotional appeal to students to realise that university administration cannot be held responsible for the unfortunate murder of Shahnawaz outside the campus and that district and university administration had swiftly acted in the matter which resulted in the arrest of the killer. But as remote-centre of the students was somewhere else, the appeal fell on deaf ears. Matters were going out of hands due to interference of outsiders and political leaders. Vice-Chancellor was deeply concerned with negative developments which were destroying the peaceful academic atmosphere in the campus.
All Aligarians, including students and teachers, are emotionally attached to AMU. No one wants to destroy even a brick of it but still it remains in the news for wrong reasons. In the interest of the institution itself, reasons behind such incidents and anarchy must be analysed. We Aligarians must address the basic question – What ails AMU?
Aligarh Muslim University is not an ordinary educational institution of higher learning. Founder of the institution wanted it to be a seat of learning and culture of truly national importance. It is also a fact that AMU has been and should strive to remain more than a university.
After going through the trauma of September, 2007, the Vice-Chancellor embarked upon re-building the institution brick by brick. He conceived new projects and courses and tried to translate Sir Syed’s dream into realities. He succeeded in isolating a group which was treating AMU as its fiefdom. The group has financial stakes and so it is natural that they began opposing every move of Prof. Azis. Murder of Shahnawaz Alam gave them an opportunity and instead of mourning untimely death of a student, the group of questionable credentials began exploiting sentiments of innocent students. After blocking Delhi-Howrah railway track for five hours, a small group of students closed the main gate of the university “Bab-e-Sayed” and staged a dharna. At the same time three students sat on hunger strike. Later on two more joined it. Many groups of senior teachers tried their best to initiate dialogue with students but due to rigidity (or say being controlled remotely) their efforts could not succeed.
After exhausting all channels of dialogue, the Vice-Chancellor took certain other facts into consideration. There was fear of large scale violence like that of September, 2007, there was possibility of another murder on the campus and even there was possibility of clash of “silent majority” of students with that remote-controlled section.
After taking stock of the prevailing situation in the meeting of Deans, Chairmen and administrative officers, the Vice-Chancellor painfully took the decision to close down the university till further orders. Even in such a situation of anguish, the Vice-Chancellor played his role well. Special trains and buses were arranged, extra coaches were attached in all trains passing out from Aligarh railway station and even those trains were stopped which were non-stop. AMU administration was so much concerned with safety of students that when a special train was stoned in Mukhtarganj (Bihar), within minutes, AMU authorities established contact with local police and civil authorities there and security cover was provided for onward journey.
Aligarians of goodwill are bound to be concerned over the fact that no Vice-Chancellor gets free hand in administering AMU. Groups having vested interests demand sometimes “academician V.C” and some other time “IAS V.C”. It is not clear what type of Vice-Chancellor they desire? Just within 15 years, AMU has been closed six times. Between 1995 and 2000 during the Vice-Chancellorship of Mahmood-Ur-Rehman, four closures took place. Naseem Ahmed had to resign just before completing his tenure. All those who have given up neither belief in Aligarianism nor the hope that one day AMU will be on top of educational radar, should ponder over the basic question – what type of Vice-Chancellor AMU needs? Harsh reality is that a small group has monopolised AMU and wants such a V.C who may play to their tunes. For achieving their goal, they exploit sentiments of students. No one is trying to understand that in the process great ideals of the founder of the institution are being buried.
Prof. Azis successfully transformed a violent campus into an academically vibrant one. Memorandums of understanding were signed with many other universities. Job oriented new courses were introduced. Process of upgradation of JN Medical College and Z.H College of Engineering and Technology to the status of All India Medical Institute and IITs respectively are underway. New hostels have been constructed. There is no waiting list now after eviction of nearly 1500 unauthorised occupants from hostels after September, 2007 violence. Centres of AMU in five States are being established for the masses. What more people want from a V.C? I am sure if Prof. Azis is allowed to work peacefully, he may succeed in realizing dreams of Sir Syed.
There are serious efforts being made all around us by some section of the Indian citizenry to ensure that AMU lose its shine and Muslims are left entirely at the mercy of the expensive private educational institutions for educating their wards. All those who are hell bent upon opposing the Vice-Chancellor should recall April 24, 1965 when just on rumours and misunderstandings a section of students assaulted the then Vice-Chancellor Nawab Ali Yawar Jang. They left him thinking that he was finished. He had received 29 injuries. Taking excuse of the situation in campus, the then Education Minister, MC Chagla declared the university closed and later by an Ordinance abolished the Court and the Executive Council. AMU was taken over by the Government of India like a department under Education Ministry. AMU (Amendment) Act, 1981 is the result of long crusade under which the university is functioning presently. Are you prepared to face such a situation once again, is the question I have to pose before opponents of V.C in all earnestness?
All kinds of pretexts are being invented to dislodge Prof. Azis. Cynical people are active, trying to vitiate the atmosphere of AMU. But the opportunity is as great as the odds are heavy. What is required is firm and decisive action to isolate the vested interests by silent majority of AMU, community leaders and intellectuals and those who love Aligarh. The pressing need of the hour is for measures which restore peace and academic activity in campus. The least that Aligarians can do is to ensure that the Vice-Chancellor is allowed to work, so that he may pull AMU back from the brink of anarchy.
[The write is an Aligarh based social and political analyst]