By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
Patna: In the last three years, Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor Prof P K Abdul Azis has suspended/rusticated 148 students to maintain peace and law and order situation in the university campus. While the authorities say the university was forced to take hard measures of suspension and rustication, others say style of functioning of the university authorities has been dictatorial since VC Prof Azis assumed office.
Since the new VC took charge in 2007, he has suspended/rusticated, till April 22, 2010, 148 students. In total 136 were suspended, 93 were taken back while the rest 44 were rusticated. Besides, 11 students were directly rusticated. This information was accessed by RTI activist Shahzad Alam.
In reply to his March 29, 2010 application seeking information about suspension and rustication since 2007, the AMU authorities provided the data.
In 2007, the VC suspended 70 students, took back 50 and rusticated rest 20. The same year, 10 students were directly rusticated. In 2008 also, 24 were suspended, 4 taken back while 20 rusticated. Another student was directly rusticated. The year 2009 brought some relief as 31 were suspended but 27 of them were taken back and 4 rusticated. There was no direct rustication that year. In 2010 (till April 22), 12 students have been suspended. None has been rusticated so far.
Why suspension/rustication of students at so big scale? “We are forced to take such step to establish peace and restore educational atmosphere in the campus,” Rahat Abrar, Public Relations Officer of AMU told TwoCircles.net.
On 80 suspension/rustication in 2007, he said: “In 2007, a mob of students had put the VC lodge on fire. In that case some were suspended and rusticated.”
He claims that aggressive suspension has helped the university establish peace and academic atmosphere in the campus.
Following violent agitation after a murder of a student last year, many students were suspended but taken back after an agreement. But the same elements are again raising their ugly head, Abrar said.
RTI activist Shahzad Alam, however, says the AMU administration has been functioning in a dictatorial style since VC Prof Azis assumed office.
“There has been dictatorship since VC assumed office three years ago. Protests took place earlier also, but never so many students were suspended. Maybe 10 or 20 students are wrong but how can 148 students be wrong?” he asks talking to TCN.
“In 2007, 80 students were suspended after the VC lodge incident. But some of them were innocents. I know them. They were not at AMU when the incident took place,” Alam says and adds: Suspension is a blot on the career of a student even though it is withdrawn.
Should AMU authorities not suspend any student at all?
“I am not against suspension. But first there should be counseling as it is the best way to solve issue. There should be an authority — a body of 3-4 professors. They first issue show cause notice, talk to the concerned parties and then take a decision,” Alam suggests.