By TCN News,
Aligarh: The Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, Lt. General Zameer Uddin Shah said that he was a firm believer in the democratic traditions of Aligarh Muslim University and he intended to hold the elections for the Students’ Union strictly according to the conditions laid down in the “Lyngdoh Committee Report”.
General Shah said that the Lyngdoh Committee Report specified that, in case there is geographical distance and an institution has a separate identity, it can have a separate Students’ Union for that institution. Towards that end AMU Women’s College has traditionally had a separate Students’ Union. It was only in the last two years, after an incorrect interpretation of the provisions of the Lyngdoh Committee Report that the separate Students’ Union for the Women’s College was dispensed with. This resulted in a massive disciplinary problem with members of the AMU Students’ Union barging into the Women’s College at odd hours, on lame pretexts. He said that in a meeting with the teachers of Women’s College 95% indicated a desire to have a separate students’ union. The parents of the students were also in favour of a separate union, he added.
General Shah said that a canard is being spread that the decision to revert back to the old tradition of a separate union for the AMU Women’s College is a retro-grade move, done under the influence of the ultra conservative lobby. He clarified that the Postgraduate Girls in AMU are part of the main Students’ Union. The President of the Women’s College Students’ Union is also the Ex-officio member of the Executive Committee of the AMU Students Union. AMU women students thus get an equal opportunity to participate in student union activities.
Lt. General Shah observed that AMU was a liberal institution of modern learning, discouraging gender bias but it could not overlook the interests of its women students or the wishes of their parents. However, reverting back to the tradition of having a separate students union for AMU Women’s College was in no way impinging on the democratic rights of the women students of the University, he emphasized.