Aligarh : It seems like the demand for reservation is the flavour of the season. Following the lead of the Patel agitators of Gujarat , a section of students under the ‘Vishwa Vidyalaya Chatra Sangh Morcha’ banner have been demanding reservation for Hindu students at Aligarh Muslim University.

AMU authorities, though, dismiss these demands as attempts by mischievous elements to “polarize the atmosphere” ahead of the assembly elections in the state. The admission policy of the university does not allow reservation on the basis of religion or caste. AMU is a central university with its own Act and Statutes. While 40% of seats are reserved for ‘internal students’ (who come in from colleges or schools attached to the university) 20% are nominated from SC/ST/OBC/NCC categories, from states not adjoining Uttar Pradesh like Kerala and Kashmir; 40% seats are for students in the general category. All students seeking admission are put through a written test.

Vishwa Vidyalaya Chatra Sangh Morcha is constituted by politically active students of Tikaram, Varshney and DS colleges in Aligarh. The administrations of these colleges too do not support the demands of these students.

Principal Ajay Tomar of DS College said, “I am not with these students who want reservation on the basis of religion. AMU’s intake is on the basis of merit, and that should be maintained. Having said that, though, I support the demand for another state university. Bhim Rao Ambedkar University in Agra has 900 colleges affiliated to it, in gross violation of UGC norms that do not allow one university to have so many colleges. How can the registrar’s office handle such a load? Aligarh mandal has Etah, Kasganj, Hathras and Aligarh. The government ought to make provision for a state university for us.”

The students’ group has sent a memorandum addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying, “Colleges affiliated with Bhim Rao Ambedkar University, Agra in Aligarh mandal should be affiliated to Aligarh Muslim University and Hindu students should get reservation, so they can get the fruits of higher education.”

One member of the faculty of AMU, on condition of anonymity, said, “If AMU were to offer reservation to Hindu students, would BHU give reservation to Muslim students? Has anyone even cared to find out the percentage of Muslim students in BHU?”

The morcha letter to the PM is signed by its general secretary Amit Goswami, a student of law at DS College, Aligarh. The president of this group of students is Arjun Bholu Singh of the same college and course.

Singh told TOI that students from these colleges in Aligarh have suffered at the hands of the Bhim Rao Ambedkar University, Agra. In the past, because of careless marking by the university, 550 students were shown as having failed their examinations. Later, it was revealed that of the 550 students, only 200 had actually failed.

Students have had to wait long periods for getting their marksheets. “Results have been delayed, and results declared have been found to be all wrong,” Goswami said.

Asmer Beg, chairman of the political science department of AMU, told TOI, “All this is just to elicit some reaction from the university and then use that response to polarize voters ahead of the assembly polls.”

The university spokesman Rahat Abrar said, “The demand is baseless. It is an act of mischief that needs to be nipped in the bud.”

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