News Analysis India

Tag: Aligarh Muslim University

  • Yogi Adityanath becomes the first Chief Minister to visit AMU

    Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Aligarh Muslim University on Thursday, in which several faculty members have died due to corona. He is the first Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh to do so. The Chief Minister took stock of the arrangements made to prevent Corona infection and held discussions with Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor, and other officials. Two days ago, Adityanath spoke to the vice-chancellor over the phone and expressed concern over the deaths of 16 serving and 18 retired faculty members on campus.

    He assured all possible help in terms of medicines and oxygen cylinders for Kovid treatment. According to an official release, the chief minister also inquired about the activities in the university. Aligarh Muslim University was established by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan in 1920 and became a Central University in 1921.

    Adityanath would later visit Agra and Mathura to review the Kovid situation there. He will hold meetings with district officials and issue necessary instructions.

  • AMU deaths: MP Danish Ali urges PM to send central team to help combat ‘virus variant’

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: In the wake of deaths among Aligarh Muslim University teachers and staffers due to COVID-19 and COVID-like symptoms, Lok Sabha MP Kunwar Danish Ali on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to send a central team to the varsity to help fight the “virus variant” there.

    In a letter to Modi, the Bahujan Samaj Party leader said the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) is facing the most challenging time in a century due to the “dangerous explosion of a new variant” of COVID-19 that has devastated the campus.

    “Apart from being a Member of Parliament, I am also a Member of AMU Court, and a lot of AMU alumni from all over the country and abroad, are expressing their concern and urging to save this great educational institution which recently completed 100 years of its existence and you yourself addressed the centenary celebrations as a chief guest, in December, last year,” Ali said in his letter to Modi.

    AMU needs an immediate visit by a central team from the Ministry of Health and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to assess the situation on the spot and take action without any further delay, he said.

    “AMU’s Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College is not fully equipped to handle such a challenging situation due to shortage of medical equipment and other facilities,” Ali said.

    “I, therefore, humbly request you to immediately send the central team to the AMU campus and provide medical assistance or allocate sufficient funds to Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College to fight the new COVID variant and save precious lives in the campus and surrounding areas,” he said.

    Alarmed by deaths in recent days among AMU teachers due to COVID-19 and COVID-like symptoms, Vice-Chancellor Tariq Mansoor had written to the ICMR on Sunday, urging it to study if a particular coronavirus variant is circulating around the university campus.

    At least 35 serving and retired AMU faculty members have died from coronavirus and coronavirus-like symptoms so far.

  • 34 deaths in 18 days: Worry as COVID kills many in AMU faculty, V-C writes to ICMR

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  The deaths of at least 16 serving and 18 retired teachers, besides other staff of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), due to Covid-19 in the past 18 days have triggered an alarm, with the Vice-Chancellor on Sunday urging the ICMR to study the infection variant on the campus.

    In a letter to the ICMR, Vice-Chancellor Tariq Mansoor said “a particular variant may be circulating in areas around the AMU campus and surrounding localities, which has led to these deaths”.

    The latest to fall to the virus was the dean of the AMU’s law faculty, Prof Shakeel Samdani, who died at Aligarh’s Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College on Friday. 

    Mansoor said the microbiology lab at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College would send samples to the Institute of Genomic and Integrated Biology, New Delhi, for genome sequencing of the variants detected in the town.

    Meanwhile, the medical college Principal Shahid Ali Siddiqui told media that 25 doctors at the hospital had tested positive for the infection in the past fortnight.

    According to the V-C, three doctors were under treatment, while others had recovered.

    Meanwhile, the college principal claimed the hospital was battling oxygen shortage and was dependent on its three plants.

    The hospital has not received a single oxygen cylinder from outside in the past 12 days despite continuous efforts, he said. 

    AMU V-C’s brother among faculty Covid fatalities

    According to the V-C only three doctors are under treatment, while others have recovered. However, sources said at least 16 people, including faculty members, were currently under treatment in the Covid ward of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College.

    The first death of a professor of AMU was recorded on April 20 when the former proctor and dean student welfare professor Jamshed Ali Siddiqui passed away.

    Earlier, Medical Department Chairman Professor Shadab Ahmed Khan (58) and Computer Department Professor Rafiqul Zaman Khan (55) also succumbed to Covid-19.

    Umar Farooq, brother of Vice-Chancellor Mansoor also died of Covid-19. Farooq was a former member of the University Court and a member of the Mohammedan Educational Conference.

    “The university is deeply concerned with the death of its faculty members, including retired teachers and other employees,” Omar Peerzada, Public Relations Officer of the university told TNIE.

    However, Peerzada said that the list of deceased being circulated on social media includes the names of several faculty members were residing outside Aligarh.

    “Non-Covid deaths are also included on this list. Our healthcare staff and frontline workers, along with the administration, are working day in and day out to combat the pandemic. These are challenging times for everyone but we will win,” Peerzada said.

    According to the list being circulated on social media, 43 professors from AMU have succumbed to the infection in the last few days.

    TNIE could not independently verify the list.

    Meanwhile, Professor Feza Tabassum Azmi of the Department of Business Administration at AMU said, “We have lost a number of colleagues during the past few days. It is indeed distressing. Only God knows what has really happened but what we know is that not everyone died in the medical college. Some staff members died at home while some were not even in Aligarh. It would be wrong to put the blame on the medical college.”

    “The team of doctors did a commendable job during the first wave, too. Perhaps the sheer number of cases in the second wave has been overwhelming. Our medical college is catering to not just the university but the entire Aligarh district,” she said.

    43 dead, claim social media

    The university PRO said a list of deceased being circulated on social media includes the names of faculty members residing outside Aligarh.

    The list claims 43 AMU profs have succumbed

  • AMU doctor, who played a crucial role in battle against pandemic, dies of COVID

    By PTI
    ALIGARH: A 58-year-old doctor at Aligarh Muslim University’s hospital succumbed to COVID on Friday, authorities said, adding, he was the 15th member of the varsity’s teaching staff to have died due to the disease or symptoms similar to that of the virus.

    Shadaab Khan, Head of Medicine department at AMU’s Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital, played a crucial role in the battle against the pandemic since its outbreak in March last year, a university spokesman told PTI.

    The hospital is one of the main COVID-designated government facilities in the state with more than 220 patients.

    “It is imperative for all government hospitals in the state to be urgently provided necessary infrastructural support and medical supplies, especially oxygen, in this battle against COVID-19,” said Mohammad Hamza, President of the Resident Doctors Association at the hospital.

    He further said that all medical staff, including junior doctors, who were at the forefront, should be fully supported and their interests protected.

    Irfan Ahmad (61), Department of Museology chairman and Assistant Professor Faisal Aziz (45) died last week, with their family members saying they showed COVID-like symptoms.

    Ehsanullah Fahad (Department of Sunni Theology); Maula Bakhsh Ansari and Mohammad Furqan Sambhali (Urdu); Mohammad Ali Khan (Post Harvest Engineering); Qazi Mohammad Jamshed (Political Science); Khalid Bin Yusuf Khan (Sanskrit), Mohammad Yusuf Ansari (English); and Sajid Ali Khan, Chairman, Department of Psychology are among others in the list of deaths due to COVID at AMU in the last 17 days.

  • Sanskrit scholar at AMU Prof Khalid Bin Yusuf dies after having COVID-19 symptoms, pneumonia

    By PTI
    ALIGARH: Noted Sanskrit scholar at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Prof Khalid Bin Yusuf has passed away after a brief illness, a university statement said here on Thursday.

    Prof Yusuf (60) was showing COVID-19 symptoms and had acute pneumonia, his family members said.

    He passed away on Wednesday night while being treated at a hospital, they added.

    Prof Yusuf was the first Muslim in India to earn a doctorate on Rigveda, as per the statement.

    AMU Vice Chancellor Prof Tariq Mansoor paid rich tributes to the departed scholar.

    During the past fortnight, 13 serving members from the teaching faculty at AMU who were either suffering from COVID-19 or showing symptoms of the infection have lost their lives.

  • Two AMU teachers die, showed ‘COVID-like symptoms’; seven deaths in 10 days

    By PTI
    ALIGARH: Two more teachers with “COVID-like symptoms” have died at the Aligarh Muslim University, which has lost seven faculty members in recent days amid a surge in COVID-19 cases.

    Prof Mohammad Ali of Centre of Agricultural Sciences and Prof Qazi Jamshed of Political Science Department passed away on Wednesday after a brief illness, a university spokesman said on Thursday.

    With these two deaths, AMU has lost seven members of its teaching staff in the past 10 days, he said.

    Earlier, Department of Museology chairman Irfan Ahmad (61), Assistant Prof Faisal Aziz (45), Prof Maula Baksh (59) from the Department of Urdu, Prof Saeed Zaman from the university polytechnic and Prof Ahsanullah Fahad (50) from the Department of Theology had passed away.

    On Wednesday, in an open letter to the AMU community, Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor had said that the university authorities have approached pharmaceutical company Cipla to rush 1,000 doses of Remdesivir to tackle the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the university.

    An online emergency help desk and tele-medicine service for teachers and other employees were also set up on Wednesday.

    Mansoor expressed hope that any shortage in oxygen supplies would be overcome within next three weeks when the new oxygen producing plant will become functional.

    Notably, the Vice Chancellor had sanctioned Rs 1.4 crore to set up an oxygen generation plant.

    Meanwhile, in Bareilly, a Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Sahsavan tehsil in Badaun, Kishore Gupta (60), who had tested positive for COVID-19, died during treatment on Thursday morning.

    He was due to retire on Friday.

  • Five AMU teachers die over past week; some showed ‘COVID-like symptoms’

    By PTI
    ALIGARH: Five Aligarh Muslim University teachers have died in the past week after brief illnesses, some of them showing “COVID-like symptoms”.

    During the same period, five retired faculty members have also died.

    Irfan Ahmad (61), Department of Museology chairman, and Assistant Prof Faisal Aziz (45) died in the past 24 hours, with their family members saying they displayed COVID-like symptoms.

    In a condolence message, the university said they died following “brief illness” and did not mention COVID as the reason of their death.

    The three other teachers who died in the past week are Prof Maula Baksh (59) from the Department of Urdu, Prof Saeed Zaman from the university polytechnic and Prof Ahsanullah Fahad (50) from the Department of Theology.

    Professor Zaman died in Meerut, his hometown.

    Among the five retired teachers who died was Humayun Murad (76), a former dean and an elected member of the AMU court.

    The other former teachers who have died in the past week were Prof Nabi Ahmad, Prof Iqbal Ali, Prof Saeed Zafar and Prof Zubair Ahmad.

  • AMU students seek arrest of religious leader Narsinghanand Saraswati for remarks against Prophet

    By PTI
    ALIGARH: Students at Aligarh Muslim University held a protest march on Sunday, demanding the arrest of religious leader Narsinghanand Saraswati for his remarks against the Prophet.

    The protesters marched to the university gate and handed over a memorandum to the local authorities, demanding immediate arrest of Narsinghanand for the alleged bid to promote disharmony between different religious groups and thereby endangering peace of the land.

    The memorandum stated that the Prophet had strongly prohibited Muslims from hurting religious sentiments of others.

    The memorandum addressed to President Ram Nath Kovind has demanded that a special stringent law to punish those trying to promote ill-will and hatred between among religious groups.

    Later, student leader Farhan Zubairi urged the Centre to take punitive action against Narsinghanand.

  • Police team sent to Delhi to trace AMU student who went missing from hostel

    By PTI
    ALIGARH: A team of the local police has been sent to New Delhi to trace the AMU student who had gone missing from his hostel, a police official said on Friday.

    Ashraf Ali, an undergraduate student at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), had gone missing on Tuesday, he added.

    AMU Proctor Wasim Khan said the missing student’s roommates told them that he had friendship with a girl from Delhi and was in her regular touch over the phone.

    He had gone to the nearby Shamshad market the day he went missing.

    Khan said on Wednesday morning, the student’s phone was switched on for a few seconds and police tracking systems confirmed that its location was in Delhi.

    Meanwhile, university student leaders urged AMU officials to coordinate with police in locating Ashraf Ali.

    Khan said the Aligarh SSP and the AMU authorities are making every effort to locate him.

  • Sharjeel Usmani booked in Lucknow for delivering objectionable speech against Hindus at Elgar Parishad event

    By ANI
    LUCKNOW: A case has been registered against Sharjeel Usmani at Lucknow’s Hazratganj Police Station in connection with his controversial speech at Elgar Parishad, in Pune Maharashtra, the police said on Thursday.

    A person named Anurag Singh from Lucknow has filed an FIR over the video of Usmai’s speech which was posted on YouTube. On the basis of this complaint, a case under 124A, 153A, 153A (2), 153B (1) (C), 295A, 298, 504, 505 (1) (B) and 505 (2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and IT Act has been registered, police said.

    Usmani had attended the Elgar Parishad event organised at Pune’s Ganesh Kala Krida Manch on January 30. Soon after, a video of him allegedly using objectionable words against the Hindu community went viral and demand for stern action against him was raised.

    Maharashtra police also registered a case against Usmani, a former student of Aligarh Muslim University in connection with the controversial speech, said state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

    Following a complaint by the Pune regional secretary of Bharatiya Yuva Janta Morcha Pradip Gawade, an FIR was filed against Usmani under Section 153-A of the Indian Penal Code, at the Swargate Police Station in Pune.

    This years’ event was organised by retired Justice BG Kolse Patil. The Elgar Parishad event on December 31, 2017, organised by the Kabir Kala Manch at Shaniwarwada became controversial after provocative speeches were allegedly made in the event promoting enmity between people. It allegedly triggered the violence in Bhima Koregaon the next day.

    The police investigation further found Maoist links in the Elgar Parishad 2017, leading to the arrest of 16 activists alleged to have links with the banned Maoist party.Hyderabad-based poet Varavara Rao, Advocate Sudha Bhardwaj, Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde are among the accused who have been arrested in the case which is now being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

    one of the organisers of the event, Retd Justice Kolse Patil said that they pointed it out on stage when the Sharjeel Usmani had used the word ‘Hindu’ instead of ‘Manuwadi’.

    “We’d pointed it out on stage only when the boy (Sharjeel Usmani) had used the word ‘Hindu’ instead of ‘Manuwadi’. He spoke well but used the wrong word. Elgar Parishad will continue,” said Retd Justice Patil, an organiser of Elgar Parishad conclave, on Sharjeel Usmani incident in Pune.

    On demands that a case should be registered against the organisers of Elgar Parishad, Justice Patil said, “Since I left the courtroom, I had made to resolve not to fear anything. I am not afraid of anything. Not even death.” He further said that they will continue to organise Elgar Parishad to put forward their view on ‘Manuwad’.

    This comes after a case was registered against Sharjeel Usmani in Maharashtra for delivering a controversial speech at the Elgaar Parishad event in Pune on January 30. “A case has been registered against Sharjeel Usmani. He is not in Maharashtra and a team of Maharashtra Police has been constituted to catch him,” said Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

    Following a complaint by the Pune regional secretary of Bharatiya Yuva Janta Morcha Pradip Gawade, an FIR was filed against Sharjeel Usmani under Section 153-A of the Indian Penal Code, at the Swargate Police Station in Pune, for his speech at Elgar Parishad. This years’ event was organised by retired Justice BG Kolse Patil.

    On Wednesday, BJP state president of Maharashtra Chandrakant Patil wrote a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asking him to register an FIR against Usmani and take stern action for his speech.

    “Strict action should be taken against the person who had hurt the sentiment of Hindu community in Maharashtra and across India, and this case should be used as a precedent so that nobody dares to use such words again,’ Patil stated.

    According to Police Commissioner Gupta, a case under Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code has been filed against Usmani, under which the accused can be imprisoned up to five years and shall also be liable to a fine for promoting enmity between groups on the basis of religion, race, language, etc.

    Talking to ANI, the complainant Gavade said that BJP has also asked the police to file a case against the organisers of the event.

    “We had filed a complaint day before yesterday where we asked the police to file a complaint immediately against Sharjeel Usmani for his speech in which he hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community. His speech also tried to provoke enmity between the two communities. He also said he doesn’t believe in the Indian state, judiciary, and parliament. All in all, he doesn’t trust the Indian state which is a clear offense under 124-A of IPC. We also requested that the organisers of the Elgaar Parishad event should also be prosecuted,” said Gavade.

    Pune City Police on Tuesday filed an FIR against Usmani for a speech he delivered at an Elgar Parishad event in Pune.

    Usmani had attended the Elgar Parishad event organised at Pune’s Ganesh Kala Krida Manch on January 30. Soon after, a video of him allegedly using objectionable words against the Hindu community went viral and demand for stern action against him was raised.

    The Elgar Parishad event on December 31, 2017, organised by the Kabir Kala Manch at Shaniwarwada became controversial after provocative speeches were allegedly made in the event promoting enmity between people. It allegedly triggered the violence in Bhima Koregaon the next day.

    The police investigation further found Maoist links in the Elgar Parishad 2017, leading to the arrest of 16 activists alleged to have links with the banned Maoist party. Hyderabad-based poet Varavara Rao, Advocate Sudha Bhardwaj, Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde are among the accused who have been arrested in the case which is now being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).