Tariq Mansoor, who has been a subject of deep students’ resentment, was accused of summoning police to campus to engage in violence
New Delhi: Aligarh Muslim University’s (AMU) Vice-Chancellor Professor Tariq Mansoor says the institute will lodge an FIR against the Aligarh police for alleged excesses committed against its students on the night of December 15, a spokesperson for the university said on Tuesday.
“Vice-chancellor Tariq Mansoor has said that the cops were called inside the AMU site on the night of December 15 just to clear the passage between Bab-e-Syed gate and VC Lodge by dispersing the crowd. However, cops entered the campus, hit students and damaged property. Hence, an FIR would be lodged against the Aligarh police,” AMU spokesperson Shafey Kidwai said.
However, the students dismissed the incident as nothing but a mere “damage control exercise.”
On December 15 intense clashes had erupted on AMU campus, when the cops, dressed in riot gear and armed with tear gas, entered the campus, barging into hostels, to quell agitation against the Citizenship Amendment Act and police violence at Jamia Millia Islamia University. The university then closed down for the winter holidays, and the hostels were emptied as students were asked to leave.
Tariq Mansoor, who has been a subject of deep students’ resentment, was accused of summoning police to campus to engage in violence.
Later, amid nationwide criticism for allowing police on the campus, the AMU VC wrote an open letter to the students, apologizing for the “turn of events”.
On January 11, Mansoor also wrote a letter to the senior superintendent of police (SSP) Aligarh to ensure security for him and his family in view of threats issued by “anti-social” and lumpen elements, drawing a sharp reaction from students who demand his removal from the post immediately.
While, a delegation of officials from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) led by IPS officer Manzil Saini, continued its inquiry into the violence and interacted with AMU authorities, staff and the students, in compliance with the Allahabad High Court order.
The NHRC team is expected to continue inquiry on the campus for a few more days.
On the other hand, the agitation against the CAA and proposed NRC continue on the AMU campus, classes remain suspended on the campus as of now.
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