AMU teachers stage dharna against university admin

Aligarh Nov 18: The Aligarh Muslim University Teachers Association on Wednesday, Nov 18 staged a dharna at the Teachers club against the "concerted attempt" by the university administration to "muzzle dissent and crush democratic institutions".

AMUTA protested against the Vice Chancellor's decision to suspend the secretary of AMUTA Mstafa Zaidi for holding a dharna on October 13 and failing to take classes without taking leave of absence on that date.

The association has also been demanding a CBI enquiry into alleged irregularities in this year's admission process of the university.

AMUTA secretary, whose chamber in the department of Library Science was sealed following his suspension last month, today said that "anyone who dissents at AMU today is punished".

Zaidi said that "it is an concerted attempt by the university administration to muzzle dissent and crush democratic institutions".

He said that the President of the Federation of Central Universities Teachers Associations (FEDCUTA) Nandita Narain will be coming here tomorrow to express solidarity with AMU teachers.

Meanwhile, a spokesman of the university strongly refuted allegations made by Zaidi and said that his room was sealed "as it was being wrongfully used as a place for conducting disruptive activities at the campus."

"All allegations against the vice Chancellor, including the charge that he is wrongfully leasing out university land, are blatantly untrue," the spokesman said. He also added that the vice Chancellor "fully respects the functioning of all democratic institutions in the University".

PTI