By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net,
Kolkata: The controversy over the change of name of the Aliah University continues to disturb the academic environment at the university. Recently the new Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee announced to change the name of the university from Aliah University to Aliah Madrasah University. It was her promise to the students of theology courses after their demand to do so during the Left regime.
This has angered the students of stream like M.A, M Sc. BE, B Tech, MCA, MBA, who are against the adding of term Madarsah in the present name of university. They think that adding Madarsah will completely change the way the outside world perceives and treats the university which will finally hamper their placement prospects. They are afraid of marginalization and what they term as “educational ghettoization.” But students of theological subjects of Aliah Madrasa College are happy with the proposed change.
Students protesting in front of the University Campus
In order to express their anger the students of technical courses have started an agitation against the university as well as the officials. On 27th May they called road block in front of the state secretariat, Writer’s Building. They wanted to meet the CM who also holds Minority Affairs Departments. Students met Gopalika, secretary, department of Minority Affairs but she didn’t agree to arrange a meeting of the students with the CM.
Because the students’ were not allowed to meet the CM, they blocked the road. According to Firoz Laskar, the police ordered a lathi charge on the peacefully agitating students. But the Joint Commissioner of Police, Jawed Shamim said, “We didn’t lathi charged. It’s just that we prevented them from coming close the Writers building.”
The agitating students have also been boycotting their examination which started from 27th May. They have also staged a sit-in at Maulana Abul Kalam Bhawan campus at Saltlake. Their demand is that the CM should take the decision after discussing the issue with the entire student community.
Lathi Charged upon the students in front of the Writers Buildings on 27th May
Aliah University Saltlake campus students organized a body. Abul Kalam Azad, general secretary of Students Union of Aliah University told TwoCircles.net that there was no university with the name Madarsah. He also said that the agitating students want a name on the pattern of Jamia Millia Islamia or Aligarh Muslim University.