Srinagar: The Kashmir students studying in the Aligarh Muslim University have written a letter to the Vice Chancellor of the varsity rejecting the allegations of any prayer meeting in the varsity in memory of the university’s former scholar Mannan Wani.
The students have termed the allegations of university as baseless and fabricated to vitiate the atmosphere.
Here is the complete text of the letter:
The Proctor,
AMU, Aligarh
Sub: On Vilification of Kashmiri students at AMU and imposition of legal sections against bonafide students at the University
Respected Sir,
With great reverence, we the students hailing from the state of Jammu and Kashmir and studying at Aligarh Muslim University want to state the following points:
- That the incident of Killing of Mannan Wani, who was formerly a student at AMU was reported from Jammu and Kashmir and subsequently the colleges and universities in the state were closed and tension prevailed across the region. The tense situation as reported in the media caused a serious concern among the students at Aligarh Muslim University.
- The students at the University in panic were discussing the situation emerging in the valley at the Kennedy Hall Lawn, and were peacefully talking among each other.
- No prayers or any relevant activity was observed, and the directions of the AMU – Proctor were duly followed. Meanwhile, some non-Kashmiri people armed with Lathis attacked the sitting students and caused a massive disturbance, and noisy scenes. However, the Kashmiri students dispersed immediately and no protest or law and order violation took place.
- Later, a vilification campaign against the students from Jammu and Kashmir was started by media that Kashmiri students violated the law and disturbed the peace in the campus. Though nothing of that sort had happened and the same was later confirmed by PRO AMU to the media.
- We, the entire fraternity of Kashmiri students at AMU strongly condemn these fabricated allegations and a systematic vilification campaign against the students and the University. We take strong objection to fabricating cases against Kashmiri students and thereby attempting to jeopardize our career.
- We, the students from Kashmir are law abiding and did not breach the guaranteed freedom of speech, or act. And the peace at AMU campus has always been the first priority of all Kashmiri students. We stand by our commitment for healthy and peaceful environment at the campus.
- In this backdrop, the University has unfortunately suspended 2 students and issued show cause notice to 7 other Kashmiri students. Also, sedition charges have been filed against two students, Mr. Waseem Ayoub Malik and Mr. Abdul Haseeb Mir, both doctoral students at AMU.
- We, the students at AMU unanimously refute these allegations of violation of law and order and thereby demand an end to defamation of highly educated Kashmiri scholars. We demand an immediate revocation of suspension orders/show cause notices and an urgent withdrawal of the sedition charges and relevant legal sections against AMU scholars.
- Imposing such sections is to threaten the Kashmiri students at the University and is a cause of serious concern. We cannot stay at the campus with the burden of these politically motivated and fabricated charges.
- We reiterate that the sitting of Kashmiri students was within the legal framework and it did disperse peacefully.
- We reiterate that the PRO, AMU Omer Peerzada has confirmed our stand and described the media allegations against Kashmiris students as False and also denied any news of Funeral Prayers at the Campus. (The Quint.com, dated 13 October 2018).
- In case, the suspension/show cause notices are not revoked immediately and sedition charges and relevant charges are not withdrawn, we the students from the state of Jammu and Kashmir at AMU will be forced to leave the campus en-masse on Sir Syed Day (17 Oct. 2018). We, the 1200 students will surrender our degrees and leave for our homes for reasons of safety and security. All the responsibility in that case will fall on the University, and local administration. We are feeling threatened and challenged and our career development is under stake, under such fearful circumstances.
- We, therefore, request your office and all the concerned that the matter be solved at the earliest so that we can study at the Campus with peace. Peace at AMU is our first concern and we will always stand by our commitment towards AMU.
- We assure you that we will retain the peace at campus.
Thank you in anticipation.
Yours Sincerely,
Students of Jammu and Kashmir, studying at AMU, Aligarh.
Forwarded through Vice President, AMUSU, Mr. Sajad Subhan Rather.
This post was published on October 13, 2018