By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net
New Delhi: “As the custodian of the secular inheritance of Dr Zakir Husain and others and as the guardian of all the students under my care, I am duty bound to protect the interests of all my students,” said Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, Prof Mushirul Hasan.
The Vice Chancellor today was addressing the JMI students and trying to instill confidence among them and to allay their fears and misgivings in the wake of the Batla House encounter and subsequent arrest of some JMI students.
On the issue of providing legal aid the Vice Chancellor clarified that students shall have access to legal aid. While the university will ensure that the students should get fair justice, it has no intention of intervening with the judicial processes or impeding police enquiries, he said. On its part, the university is proceeding on the assumption that our students are not guilty unless proven otherwise, says a release from the university.
The VC said Jamia spends 40-50 lakh rupees on land disputes annually, why it will not spend to protect its students, said a PG student who listened to his address. When government provides legal assistance to murderers and smugglers, why should not Jamia provide legal aid to its students?
Meanwhile there is a report that Jamia has formed a 3-member committee comprising university professors and writer and columnist Feroz Bakht Ahmad has been made convener of the committee. The committee will assist the court which will hear the cases of Jamia students who have been arrested in the connection of Delhi bombings.
“This University is unequivocally against terror and violence. Nothing can justify the killings of innocent people since it is contrary to all civilized norms,” the VC said.
He urged the students not to be defensive. He said, ‘We owe no explanation to none except ourselves and our faith that unambiguously eschews violence. Our commitment is to the rule of law and to the Indian Constitution.’
“Our answer to our critics is that we should be more secular than the others and we should cultivate an enlightened and liberal outlook while remaining true to one’s convictions” he said.
He appealed to the media not to allow this incident to be politicized and to honour the secular credentials of this university.
He in fact came down heavily on the media for not properly presenting the case. A student recalls VC saying that media is in search of conspiracy in Jamia, they should search conspiracy in Gujarat, Karnataka and Orissa. He further said there was a ‘conspiracy’ in 1920 when Jamia was founded. There was a conspiracy in 1940 when it opposed division of the country.
He congratulated students for being peaceful and hoped they would remain so.
The university will take out a peace march tomorrow within the vicinity of the university. VC himself will lead the procession.