By Mudabbir Ali Choudhary
On the occasion of granting lifetime membership of the student union to the former vice president Hamid Ansari, who also served as the professor & vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, a mob of Hindu Yuva Vahini goons barged into the campus premises and burned the effigy of Jinnah and chanted the slogans “Bharat mein Jinnah ka ye samman nhi chalega”.
Following the news, the AMUSU leaders and the students caught hold of 6 goons and handed over to the police, but no action was taken against them and they were later released by the police.
Soon the ruckus got created when the police force used the water cannons, tear shells as well as lathi-charged on the varsity students when they were marching towards the police station to register a complaint against the incident. As a result, three to four students were critically injured.
Basically, the Hindu right-wing outfits are constantly trying to target and demean the university, and noticeably the attack took place just after the replacement of previous Superintendent of Police Rajesh Pandey by Ajay Sahani.
Over the past one week, several developments have been taken place. Earlier, the BJP leader and MP Subhramaniam Swamy called the “Aligarh Muslim University as a hub of terrorists and extremists ”, then the goons of Hindu Yuva Vahini handed over an application to the Vice-chancellor for installing the “RSS Shakha” within the AMU campus.
During the course of these events Aligarh BJP law maker Satish Gautam objected to Jinnah’s portrait and sought an explanation from AMU Vice-Chancellor Tariq Mansoor for hanging his picture on the wall of the student union’s hall. It as followed by Hindu Yuva Vahini issuing an ultimatum to the AMU to remove Jinnah’s portrait within 48 hours.
Amid the whole issue several questions arise.Why the Hindu right wingers are randomly targeting the Aligarh Muslim University. If the portrait of Jinnah is objectionable to them – because he is considered as the real culprit of partition- then why they used to praise Vinayak D Savarkar as well allowed to install his picture in the central hall of parliament and their Shakhas?
Let me unfold some hidden truths, Savarkar was the first who gave the concept of “two nations” theory during a Hindu Maha Sabha, he discussed the idea of Hindus and Muslims should be two separate nations 16 years before Jinnah did. Secondly, Quaid e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah was a founder member of the University Court and was granted by lifetime membership of the student union in the year 1938. He has also provided aid to build some space in Sulaiman Hall, Aligarh and a stone with his name and contribution is still installed there in the room number 15 of Jai Kishan Hostel. The hostel was built on the name of Raja Jai Kishan who was well known for his secular credentials.
The proof of Jinnah’s contribution to this nation do not end here; he was among the key leader of the nationalist movement and immensely fought for the freedom struggle. Jinnah defended the Bhagat Singh in his speech in the Central Assembly on September 12, 1929. In the book, The Trial of Bhagat Singh — Politics of Justice- by A.G. Noorani, a prominent Supreme Court advocate, it reads ; “Jinnah held Bhagat Singh and his comrades in high esteem.”
Even many leading luminaries of India’s freedom struggle including Sarojini Naidu, Gokhle and so on, Sarojini Naidu described Mr Jinnah as an ‘Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim Unity’ while Gopal Krishan Gokhale called him a man free from all sectarian prejudice which will make him an ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity.
Hindu right wingers by attacking Aligarh Muslim University not merely attacked the minority institute but also thwarted the arrival of the former constitutional head of the army.
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Mudabbir Ali Choudhary is an alumni of Aligarh muslim University and PRO at Choudhary advocates, New Delhi