Jinnah Portrait Row: 2 Arrested, AMU Exams Postponed till 12 May
The exams have been cancelled due to the ongoing controversy over Jinnah’s portrait in AMU’s students’ union office.
advertisement
Two youths, wanted in connection with the violence at Aligarh Muslim University on 2 May, were arrested by the police for allegedly trying to breach peace and posting inflammatory material on social media.
Amit Goswami and Yogesh Varshney, former city president of Hindu Yuva Vahini, were arrested late on Sunday, 6 May.
According to a PTI report, they were arrested under sections 147 (rioting) and 153A (promoting religious animosity between different groups) of IPC.
After the AMU campus violence, the duo had allegedly posted objectionable material on social media which had led to temporary suspension of Internet service in the city, police told the news agency.
Exams Postponed till 12 May
Meanwhile, the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on Sunday, 6 May, postponed all examinations amid the prevailing tension within the campus over the portrait of Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
The decision was taken in a consultative meeting with University Vice Chancellor Professor Tariq Mansoor, Deans of various faculties and Principals of all colleges.
A 16-member coordination committee was also formed to look at the prevailing situation and to maintain peace.
The Hindutva groups have continued to mount pressure on the university administration to remove the portrait of Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.
The controversy started after a BJP MP Satish Gautam wrote a letter to AMU’s vice-chancellor asking why the portrait of Jinnah was there in the student’s union office.
(With inputs from IANS and PTI)
(The Quint is now on WhatsApp. To receive handpicked stories on topics you care about, subscribe to our WhatsApp services. Just go to TheQuint.com/WhatsApp and hit send)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)