12 AMU students booked for sedition after scuffle with crew of a TV news channel

On Tuesday night, cases under Sections 124-A (sedition), 307 (attempt to murder) and eight other sections of the IPC were registered against 12 students, including the president of students’ union Salman Imtiaz and vice president Union Huzaifa Aamir on the complaint of ABVP activist Mukesh Lodhi.

Representational Picture taken from Aligarh Muslim University Facebook page.

Aligarh: Security was beefed up on Wednesday in the politically sensitive Aligarh Muslim University following a scuffle between some students and an English TV news channel. The altercation took place over reports of controversial AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi visiting the campus. Sedition charges were slapped against twelve students, including the university students’ union chief, following a complaint of alleged assault filed by an ABVP member. The invoking of sedition prompted students and union leaders to declare “boycott class” in the campus. A video circulating on social media showed the media persons getting into a verbal tiff with the college students and staff who objected to filming on the campus without permission. The incident also came in the wake of an ABVP activist alleging a murderous assault on him by certain AMU students who also raised “Pakistan Zindabad slogans.” The main approach road leading to the university campus at IG Khan crossing was closed by the police as a precautionary measure. Official sources of news agency PTI said internet services would be off in the city as a precautionary measure. Rapid Action Force was deployed around the campus amid other protests, including one in which a motorcycle belonging to an ABVP member was set on fire, a senior police officer said. Owaisi doesn’t turn up It was not immediately clear if this incident was also related to Asaduddin Owaisi’s visit. ABVP activists staged a protest near the Faiz Gate of the university after some media reports claimed the AIMIM leader was invited to address a function organised by the AMU Students’ Union on Tuesday. They demanded that he be banned from entering the campus. Owaisi, however, did not turn up. An AMU spokesman said a TV channel team, which had come to cover the anticipated event, had an altercation with some students while they were filming inside the campus. The spokesman said the channel had not sought permission for live coverage and when university staff pointed this out, there was a heated exchange in which some students were also involved. Mediapersons claimed that they were roughed up by some students while they were filming on the campus and their camera was smashed. Complaint filed by ABVP members Complaints were lodged at the Civil Lines Police Station, by both the AMU authorities and the TV channel crew. A complaint was also filed by some ABVP members, who alleged that they were beaten up near the Faiz Gate and a motorcycle, belonging to one of them, was set on fire. SSP Akash Kulhari told PTI that a number of complaints were given by different groups at the Civil Lines police station and the police were still in the process of filing these reports. Meanwhile, a large group of students of the university gathered at Bab-e-Syed Gate, demanding the suspension of Ajay Singh, a prominent ABVP leader who is a postgraduate student in the Faculty of Law. He is the grandson of BJP MLA Dalvir Singh. On Tuesday night, cases under Sections 124-A (sedition), 307 (attempt to murder) and eight other sections of the IPC were registered against 12 students, including the president of students’ union Salman Imtiaz and vice president Union Huzaifa Aamir on the complaint of ABVP activist Mukesh Lodhi. He alleged that while he was driving across the AMU circle, these students surrounded him and launched a “murderous assault” and raised pro-Pakistan slogans. Meanwhile, police confirmed that two more complaints were received at Civil Lines police station on behalf of AMU students and AMU officials. He said these reports were being examined and an FIR would be filed “after due investigation”. The AMU has issued an advisory to students, asking them “not to move out of campus as a precautionary measure”. (With additional information from PTI)