Aligarh Muslim University asks its Kashmiri students to stay inside premises

AGRA: With more than 1,000 Kashmiri students on its roll, the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on Monday asked them to stay confined to the campus for the next few days. The verbal advisory to the Kashmiri students came soon after the government announced in Parliament its plan to scrap Article 370 of the Constitution, which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir. According to AMU officials, a meeting of hostels’ provost was held and a verbal advisory was issued to them to be conveyed to the Kashmiri students present in the campus.
However, a large section of students was not present in the campus as the new session has started a few days ago. Most of them will return after celebrating Bakrid. At present, around 1,000 Kashmiri students are studying in the campus and most of them reside in the AMU’s 14 hostels.
Meanwhile, AMU’s Students’ Union (AMUSU) has strongly condemned the government move.
Former president of AMUSU, Mohammad Salman Imtiaz, said that the decision of the government to bifurcate the state into Union territories is “shocking” because it massively disempowers the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
He said, “The decision was taken without a proper debate and approval of the people of Kashmir.”
He said that the massive deployment of forces and the arrests of political leaders, including the former chief ministers reflect authoritarian approach.
“We will challenge the attack on JK’s dignity and rights by all possible means,” said Imtiaz. He urged the students from Jammu and Kashmir to maintain calm and fight for their rights by peaceful and democratic means. The students’ union members also called it “Constitutional coup”.