AMU shielding Professor for anti-Modi remarks, govt criticism on Kashmir issue: ABVP

Aligarh: The Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has accused the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) authorities of "shielding" a faculty member for his alleged "anti-Modi" statements and criticism of the government's handling of the Kashmir issue, charges denied by the varsity administration.

AMU Vice Chancellor Lt Gen Zameer Uddin Shah said a two-member committee which had gone into the allegations made by 30 students in a written complaint to him in March last year had "exonerated Prof Majid Khan of any anti-national utterances in front of his students".

However, Khan was cautioned not to discuss extraneous and politically sensitive issues in the classroom, he said.

The ABVP city unit, in a memorandum submitted to the District Magistrate, has demanded that authorities should initiate action against Khan of the Department of Islamic Studies, alleging that "university authorities are shielding him and not taking action against him despite a written complaint made last year by the students".

The right-wing student organisation affiliated to ruling BJP alleged that despite an enquiry been instituted against the professor, "no follow up action" had been taken on the basis of the report.

District Magistrate Hrishikesh Bhaskar Yashod today confirmed that his office had received the complaint from ABVP.

"The matter pertains to a Central University and I am examining the possibility whether any intervention by the district authorities is warranted," he said.

Yashod said , "If needed, the district authorities would take appropriate action as per the law".

Shah, while denying that there was any attempt on part of the university to cover up the matter, said the committee on March 3, 2016 in its report had "not recommended any punitive action against Prof Khan."

Following the enquiry, Khan had been asked to observe caution in the future and since then there has been no further complaint against him.