By TCN News,
New Delhi: Intensifying its movement for Kishanganj centre of Aligarh Muslim University, the AMU Centre Co-ordination Committee on 12th October organized a dharna (sit-in) outside the Bihar Bhawan in Delhi. Hundreds of people gathered at the call of the Committee shouted slogans against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for not showing interest in resolving the land issue for the proposed centre in the Muslim-dominated most backward district of the state.
The demonstrators comprised Delhi-based (residents of Bihar) working professionals, students, journalists and activists who came together to support the ongoing agitation for the establishment of AMU Special Centre in Kishanganj. The one hour long dharna was intended to push up the Bihar Government for immediate inception of the AMU centre in Kishanganj. They demanded Bihar Government to immediately allocate the required land to AMU VC.
During the democratic dharna the protestors shouted slogans against the Nitish Kumar led Bihar Government.
At the end of the dharna, a delegation of AMU Centre Co-ordination Committee submitted a memorandum addressed to Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar through the Resident Commissioner of Bihar in Delhi. The memorandum was accepted by Akhlaq Ahmad, Joint Commissioner Bihar Bhawan on behalf of Resident Commissioner.
The delegation included Mohammad Mudassir Alam, PRO of AMU Centre Co-ordination Committee, Minnat Rahmani, Congress Youth Spokesperson, Tauqir Alam, a student leader of JNU and Zamir Iqbal, an Engineer by profession.
The committee has requested Nitish Kumar to resolve the land issue on immediate basis and provide the required 250 acres of land free of cost to AMU.
Establishment of AMU Centre in Kishanganj Bihar could solve many issues including the mass migration of people to other parts of country in search of education and employment.
Kishanganj was identified as one of the five centres of AMU after the Sachar Committee recommended setting up of more institutions focused on the educational needs of Muslims in the minority dominated areas. The proposed special centre of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in Kishanganj district of Bihar is delaying for past two and half years due to all wrong reasons. The establishment of AMU Centre in Kishanganj, Bihar is on hold because of inability of Nitish led Bihar Government to provide required 250 acres contiguous land to AMU administration free of cost. In fact, the Bihar Government had offered 243 acres of land in three parts on lease basis for 30 years to the Vice Chancellor of AMU in May 2010. However, following his visit on 22 May, 2010 to the proposed land the VC of AMU Prof P K Abdul Azis refused to accept the land because of 3 pieces, illegal encroachment by tribals, narrow access road (less than 30 metre) and 30 years lease term.
Since then, the Bihar Government has failed to provide alternative site of the required 250 acres land to AMU.