By IANS,
Lucknow/Aligarh : Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) was Friday temporarily shut down following protests by students over the murder of a final year student.
“The decision to close down the university and its maintained institutions was taken in a consultative meeting presided by AMU Vice Chancellor P.K. Abdul Azis,” AMU’s official spokesperson Rahat Abrar told IANS on telephone.
“We will convene a meeting shortly to review the situation and announce a date for opening the varsity,” he added.
Violent protests by AMU students started Monday – a day after Shahnawaz Alam, a B.Sc final year student of the varsity – was shot dead by assailants.
Agitated over the murder, around 600 students Monday blocked the Delhi-Howrah rail route for hours demanding that those involved in the murder be handed over to them.
Students also disrupted the academic and official work in the varsity since Monday, said Abrar.
The Vice Chancellor, P.K. Abdul Azis, has appealed to the students to vacate the hostels and leave for their hometown. The university has arranged for 100 special buses for the students as well as two special coaches in all the trains passing through Aligarh to eastern Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and towards Delhi, officials said.
The angry students are demanding those involved in the murder be handed over to them.
Police believe the murder involved two to three men and have already arrested a suspect.