Lucknow, September 17
Aligarh Muslim University was closed sine die after students went on a rampage attacking the vice-chancellor’s residence and setting on fire many other buildings after the killing of a physics undergraduate student on the campus late last night.
An emergency meeting of the AMU executive council today decided to close the university sine die. It has asked the students to vacate the hostels within 48 hours.
The other decision taken by the EC today was to set up a judicial enquiry to be conducted by a retired Supreme Court judge. It will probe repeated incidents of violence and vandalism in the campus during the past one year and will submit its report within six months. A demand for a CBI enquiry into the violent incidents was also made.
Forty buses and a special train have been arranged to take thousands of university students out of the university city. Two additional bogeys are being attached to all trains passing through Aligarh station to take care of the heavy rush of students leaving the city.
The sequence of events was triggered by the murder of Mazhar Naeem a B.Sc second year student. A resident of Meerut, Naeem was returning to his room in Aftab hostel after the special Ramzaan ‘tarawwi prayers’ on Sunday night when some unknown miscreants attacked him from behind.
He was rushed to the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College on the university campus where he was declared brought dead.
As the news of his death spread angry students gathered on the campus in heavy numbers and first ransacked the teachers' staff room and even set the vice-chancellor's residence on fire.
Vice-Chancellor P.K Abdul Aziz had a narrow escape, as he was not present at his residence at the time of the incident. According to sources the PAC posted there was a mute spectator to the whole incident.
Moving like a mob the students later attacked the AMU staff club and the proctor's office, causing heavy damage to property.
AMU spokesperson Dr Rahat Abrar said the motive behind the killing of the student is yet to be ascertained. His body was handed over to his family early this morning. The police has lodged an FIR in this regard. The Rapid Action Force had to be called in to bring the situation under control.
