New Delhi:Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath joined the growing calls for the removal of Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s portrait, protests over which had led to violent clashes the day before at Aligarh Muslim University.An uneasy calm prevailed over the Aligarh Muslim University campus on Thursday with rival groups protesting.
Students, angry over Wednesday’s police action, staged a day-long sit-in at the campus gate. The portrait of Pakistan’s founder at the student’s union hall was briefly taken off, apparently for cleaning, and was put up again on Thursday by AMU students.Some minor skirmishes between students and police were reported later in the evening. The police alleged students pelted stones at them. “The situation is under control,” a police officer said even as agitating students refused to heed the growing demands from the ruling BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP) for the removal of the portrait.
“No way, sir... The portrait will remain there. Whatever it is, you can’t erase history and Jinnah is part of the history of undivided India,” said Mashkoor Ahmad Usmani, the AMU Student’s Union president.
Chief ministerAdityanath, campaigning for BJP in Karnataka, sided with the growing chorus within the BJP against the Jinnah portrait on the AMU campus. An aide said an angry chief minister had sought a report from the local administration on Wednesday’s developments.
“I think the glorification of Jinnah is unfortunate. My government would act strictly against all those who were behind the trouble (on Wednesday),” he said at an election rally.Taking a cue, the Hindu YuvaVahini, an outfit founded by Adityanath, demanded an FIR be registered against those who had put up the portrait on at AMU. “In fact, the portrait needs to be replaced with that of Baba Ambedkar,” said Raghvendra Singh, state in-charge of HYV.
AMU students, meanwhile, accused senior police officers of taking orders from the RashtriyaSwayamsevakSangh (RSS) and BJP leadership. They accused BJP of fuelling discontent on campus. Students raised slogans against the Hindu JagranManch, blaming it for provoking varsity students, leading to “one sided” police action.
AMUSU secretary Mohammed Fahad who was injured in Wednesday’s clash with the police, demanded that the National Security Act be invoked against BJP’s Aligarh member of Parliament SatishGautam, who initially demanded the removal of the portrait.