Bareilly’s Aala Hazrat Dargah issues Fatwa against Jinnah

Amid row over Mohammed Ali Jinnah's portrait in Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Bareilly's Aala Hazrat Dargah has issued a fatwa against the Pakistan's founder, saying "no one should stand in support of him".

Massive protests are being held at AMU and even in Delhi's Jamia Millia University for over a week now. The Jinnah row started after BJP's Aligarh MP Satish Gautam wrote to AMU raising objections to the portrait. The University said portraits of all life members of the student union hang there.

"Jinnah was the one who divided the nation and no one should stand in support of him. Jinnah is a part of Pakistan and not us, his pictures should be removed from everywhere," News 18 quoted the Fatwa as saying.

The administration suspended internet services in communally sensitive Aligarh district from 2 pm on May 4 to prevent "rumour mongering". AMU students staged a sit-in at the university's Baab-e-Syed gate, where they had clashed with the police on Wednesday (May 2). They had then boycotted classes for the next two days.

The controversy over the portrait of Mohammed Ali Jinnah in AMU took a violent turn on May 2 as Hindu Yuva Vahini supporters staged a protest at the varsity campus. The police reportedly had to lob tear gas shells to disperse the agitators.

Hitting back at those supporting Jinnah, BJP' Sudhanshu Trivedi on May 5 told ANI, "People who are standing with Jinnah today, are the same people who stood with terrorist like Afzal Guru. It is unfortunate that certain people are standing by the side of a person (Muhammad Ali Jinnah) who was responsible for the division of this country."