TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: Vice President of Aligarh Muslim University Students’ Union Taushif Alam is on a hunger strike for a week now, since March 13 over his suspension.
He was suspended allegedly after he misbehaved with the Principal of the Jawharlal Nehru Medical College in his office.
According to a notification dated March 12, 2013 by the Registrar, he was issued a written warning on February 28 for indulging in “unlawful activities” but instead of responding to the warnings, he had “willfully continued to indulge in acts of indiscipline.”
He is on hunger strike, protesting against his suspension that even barred him from entering campus, and divested from his responsibility as VP.
Another major demand of the protesters is allowing flexibility in the attendance percentage to be allowed to appear in examinations.
The AMU administration, meanwhile has expressed their concern for health of Taushif, who is on indefinite hunger strike. They also alleged that when a team of doctors and proctorial team along with the district police personnel visited the Dharna site late yesterday night to persuade Taushif to end his fast, he was not found there, although some other students were sleeping.
Speaking to TCN, however, Taushif, who could barely speak, vehemently denied that he was not on the dharna site, but accepted that he had gone to his room for a very short time to get fresh. When asked if the administration has tried to communicate with him, he answered in negation.
The University has, however, appealed to the protesting students to withdraw their Dharna and end hunger strike so that the date for Disciplinary Committee meeting is announced to decide the suspension case of Taushif Alam.
AMU Registrar, Group Captain (Retd.) Shahrukh Shamshad said that the University administration was committed to strengthen democratic values in the University; however nobody could be allowed to take the University’s peace at ransom. He warned of strong action against those who tried to commit a breach of law and order in the campus.
Tussle among several lobbies?
However, observers point to several power plays behind the protest. They point out that the AMU administration is currently in the hands of a select group of ‘coterie’ handpicked by the current Vice Chancellor Lt. General Shah.
Most powerful lobbies of teachers, who have generally dominated the campus, are hence getting desperate and might be tacitly supporting the agitators they point out.
Although no one was willing to talk publicly, but they did point to a particular region in the state being favoured in appointment of non-teaching staffs.
One faculty member said, “Even the Vice Chancellor has accepted that the law and order situation is deteriorating in the campus. He even appealed to students against what he called the ‘katta’ culture. So why is it that despite top three posts being held by former men in uniforms, they have not been able to restore order in the campus?”