“We, at AMU, take strong notice of the repulsive response against the ban in Jammu and Kashmir and want the government of the day to come clean on charges against Jammat,” Imtiaz’s statement added.The Aligarh Muslim University Students’ Union has sought a review of the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami, Jammu and Kashmir. A statement issued by the students’ union chief, M Salman Imtiaz, on Monday said that the “socio-religio-political” outfit’s ban has come as a “shock”.
Reacting to the statement issued by Imtiaz, Aligarh BJP MP Satish Gautam said that AMU has become a “hub for anti-national activities”.
Claiming that the outfit runs on constitutional and democratic methods, Imtiaz’s statement said, “Jamaat is neither an underground outfit, nor a terror outfit. It has been part of the electoral process in the state… It is only after mass rigging of elections in 1989 that Jamaat abandoned the electoral process.”
Slamming the BJP for its “Hindutva politics”, the statement said, “As BJP rule is coming to an end and elections are just a few weeks away, the ban on Jamaat appears to be a decision that has little to do with unlawful activities and more to do with the hardcore Hindutva policies. The religious leadership in Kashmir, civil society and traders have also condemned the ban as politically motivated,” the statement stated.
“We, at AMU, take strong notice of the repulsive response against the ban in Jammu and Kashmir and want the government of the day to come clean on charges against Jammat,” Imtiaz’s statement added.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Imtiaz said that the ban should be analysed by the government. “The government should consider the role the Jammat has played in times of crisis. During the floods in Kashmir in 2014, the outfit did a remarkable job in providing aid. It did a good job during the earthquake in the state in 2005. The outfit believes in democracy and has clarified that it has no link with militancy. We need an inclusive policy for Kashmir and not a hardcore one,” he said over the phone on Thursday.
Meanwhile, local MP Satish Gautam said, “It is sad that AMUSU has asked for lifting the ban on Jamaat. Our soldiers are dying on the border and AMU students are protesting against the ban on the outfit,” he said on Thursday.
“The mentality of AMU students is being exposed everyday. They are against ‘Bharat Mata’ and raise anti-national slogans regularly. I will speak to the varsity’s VC about this and demand action against the students involved in this,” Gautam added.
