Protest against new Darul Uloom Deoband VC

Muzaffarnagar, Jan 24 (PTI) Students staged a protestat the leading Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband demandingremoval of the new Vice Chancellor for his alleged comments onGujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, seminary sources said.

A group of protesters, who were raising slogansagainst VC Maulana Ghulam Mohammed Vastanvi, disrupted classesand closed the main gate last evening, they said, adding twostudents were injured in the melee.

The protesters dispersed after senior officials of theseminary tried to pacify them, the sources said.

However, Deputy Vice Chancellor Maulana Abdul KhallikMadrasi claimed that some outside students were involved inthe protest and that classes in the seminary have resumedtoday.

Meanwhile, Vastanvi dismissed reports of confrontationwith the students and alleged that it was a conspiracy tomalign the institute''s image.

Vastanvi, who had recently praised development worksin Gujarat, had earlier clarified that he had not not given aclean chit to Modi in the 2002 riots.

"Those who were involved in Gujarat riots should bepunished," the cleric told reporters on Saturday at theseminary after taking charge as Vice Chancellor and added thathe has never praised the BJP leader.

"How can something like this be said about a cruel manlike him. I have not given a clean chit to him (Modi)...,"Vastanvi, who hails from Gujarat, said.

The Vice Chancellor said he raised the point of thestate''s development because it involves the people of everycommunity in Gujarat and both central and state governmentswere responsible for the uplift of the state.