New Delhi, 19 Nov 2014: Finally after ten days of bitterness between AMU and Times of India , the mediation of PCI chairman Markandey Katju has resolved the matter amicably when Mr Katju along with AMU VC, General Zameeruddin Shah reached at Times House and met Executive Editor Arindam Sengupta .
“The meeting lasted for almost 2 hours, and was conducted in a very cordial atmosphere, and ended on a happy note,” said Press Council of India chairman Justice Markandey Katju after the meeting.
In his meeting with the Editors of the daily, the VC put his points across:
1. He had not introduced any new rule for the Maulana Azad library in AMU. The rule had been existing since long before he became the Vice Chancellor, that only postgraduate and engineering and medical college girl students were allowed in the Maulana Azad library.
2. As regards the undergraduate girl students who lived in the Abdullah Hall of the Women’s College, which is 3 kms. from Maulana Azad library, they had never been permitted to go to the Maulana Azad library, but they had their own library in Abdullah Hall. If they wanted any book from Maulana Azad library they could get them online, but in the last 3 years or so only 23 such requests had been made.
3. The Vice Chancellor had gone to the Women’s College for a function to install the newly elected office bearers. There, some girl students said that the undergraduate girls should also be allowed to go to the Maulana Azad library. The Vice Chancellor said that the library was already overcrowded, and there was no more place to sit. He then said in lighter vein that if girls were allowed to go to the Maulana Azad library many boys would be attracted. This remark had been misconstrued as if he had some gender bias, which was not true.
Clarifying his position on the alleged ban on Times of India in the AMU campus, the VC told the editors of the daily he had not passed any order banning Times of India, but admitted that he made a mistake in saying orally before the students that the Times of India would not be allowed in AMU.
I was very impressed by General Shah: Justice Katju
After his meeting at Times House, the VC of AMU drove to the residence of Justice Markandey Katju and had one hour talk with him. In his facebook post, Justice Katju wrote about the VC:
“He appeared to me a very upright man with good intentions. However, I repeated to him my advice which I had offered to him earlier on telephone: he should be more discrete, and if any demand or appeal is made to him he should not straightaway say yes or no, but instead say “I will consider “. Later, after cool deliberation, and after considering all aspects of the matter and their ramifications, and after consulting relevant people, he may say yes or no. I told him that I was 2 years older than him, so he should take it as an advice by an elder brother. He accepted the advice gracefully.”
Press Council chairman Justice Katju has now appealed to students of AMU to treat the matter as closed.