Aligarh MP, AMU V-C in letter war over minority status case

ALIGARH: A war of letters has erupted between Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) vice-chancellor Lt Gen Zameer Uddin Shah and Aligarh’s MP Satish Gautam of the BJP. After Gautam wrote to Shah about the latter’s “inflammatory statements” over the university’s minority status, Shah wrote back to the MP not to question his secular credentials.
On July 13, Gautam wrote to Shah accusing the AMU V-C of trying to instigate students by issuing a statement in which he feared “trouble” if the university’s minority tag was removed.The statement, which Gautam said was “inflammatory”, might create disturbances on campus. The MP also asked Shah to refrain from making such statements. “It appears that you do not believe in the constitutional framework of India or a judicial verdict by the Supreme Court,” the MP wrote.
In his reply, the V-C said that the MP’s allegations were incorrect. “I have complete faith in the judiciary and the fairness and sagacity of our PM Narendra Modi,” he wrote, expressing disappointment that Gautam chose to release the letter to the press without carrying his refutation or clarification. “Despite the ongoing agitation in several universities, there had been no lawlessness in AMU. I, however, felt that in case of an adverse judgment on the ‘minority character’ case, there might be a student agitation as these students were emotionally involved. I am not projecting a fundamentalist image. I uphold the secular values of AMU and I myself have imbibed modern values in my upbringing and 40 years in the Army. We should not do anything to spoil the peace and tranquility of our city,” the letter added.
When TOI contacted the MP, he said, “I had written to him that he should not spoil peace on campus and now he is telling me the same thing.”