Recently the students were visited by Mr. Kaukab Hameed from the parent Old Boys Association who expressed full solidarity with the agitating students and asked them to drop the demand for the removal of the Vice-Chancellor and assured that he would work earnestly for the immediate reopening of the university, and that university take no action against any agitating students and immediate representation of the students through elected AMUSU, in the AMU Court and AC as mentioned in the AMU Act. When students painfully complained about the systematic campaign launched by the AMU administration through its PRO by sending bogus reports in the media houses in contravention to the statements issued by SSP, Aligarh to defame the meritorious students sitting on Dharna as anti-socials and criminals and such endorsement by some Old Boys Associations in their resolutions, Mr. Kaukab Hameed said that the students must be assured that the parent Old Body is with them and as students did not damage a single penny of university property, they deserve all the praises for such historic peaceful agitation.
The students were also visited by Minister of State for Tourism, Govt. of India Mr. Sultan Ahmad on November 7 , 2009 who sought the intervention of Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh and Minister of HRD Mr. Kapil Sibal in an official statement issued by him. Date: 08/11/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/
On November 7, 2009- For the first time Sir Syed Day was organized at the JNU and was attended by many distinguished Old Boys and other important personalities. The JNUSU started a signature campaign on the behest of the struggling AMU students for the immediate intervention by the Visitor of AMU to end this deadlock and provide campus democracy to the students of AMU also condemning the action by the AMU administration for coming down heavily on the students agitating peacefully under the ambit of article 19 of Indian Constitution. More than 100 old boys and other important personalities including media persons, journalists, retired IAS officers and other luminaries signed that petition for the students.
On November 8, 2009- JNUSU in its on going programme to express solidarity with the struggling AMU students who even after facing lots of difficulties still remain at the Dharna site for the justice towards the entire AMU students community, hold a public meeting at the Tapti Hostel Mess at 10 pm.
This Public Meeting was attended by 200 JNU students who were affiliated to almost all the student bodies' i.e AISA, NSUI, SFI, DSU etc. The inaugural address was given by the JNUSU President Mr. Sandeep Singh who mentioned about his personal visit to AMU during this agitation and his interaction with the common class going students where he found a deep seated anger against the entire AMU administration for their high handedness with the student community for the past few months. He also stated that JNUSU is a responsible Student Union body praised by entire intellectual community of India which only after going into facts and figures expressed full solidarity with such peaceful democratic movement of AMU students. He laughed off the fact that some students were suspended for "spoiling peace by inviting JNUSU leaders at the campus" and termed AMU a dystopia for the students where no democratic voice can be raised. He also criticized AMU administration for all the fee hikes. JNUSU is now planning to extend this signature campaign among the distinguished personalities of India.
From the AMU Students Struggle Committee, Mr. Irfan Khan of Phd Mass Communication and Md. Adil Hossain of M.A(Prev)Mass Communication represented at this Public meeting and they stated about the systematic oppression by the AMU administration led by this Vice-Chancellor along with facts and figures collected from the RTI revelation by Md. Adil Hossain and how this murder spark the entire students agitation with an overall attitude towards administration. It was stated by them that how article 19 of the Indian Constitution ( freedom of speech, freedom to assemble without arms) has no meaning at the campus and how students are being booked by draconian rules of the Proctor. Md. Adil Hossain also lamented on the fact that the entire left and right lobby of AMU is now with this Vice-Chancellor and students without any support just fighting for the student causes. They also stated about the ignorance of UPA administration towards the affair of an institution with minority character and established the fact how without campus democracy there is a systematic approach by the Govt. to muffle the voice of the active and liberated Muslim youth community of India. The closure of AMU in 2 and half years and the deep seated reasons behind this crisis demands a thorough inquiry that what's the loophole in the system that instigate students time and again against the AMU administration and AMU administration without addressing such root causes find solace in repressive measures.
In the Presidential Address, Prof.Chaman Lal of Dept of Hindi, JNU and an Executive Member of JNU Teachers Association expressed all solidarity and assure to mobilize JNU Teachers Community for the cause of agitating students after hearing their grievances with all facts and figures and the continued oppression by the AMU administration. He advised the AMU Vice-Chancellor to go on leave till the enquiry is going on against him following the natural principle of justice. Prof Chaman Lal also lamented on the fact that how Vice-Chancellor act like feudal lord in universities and everything they decide term as in controversial "good faith". He stated such students' crisis is a commonplace now a days in India and Govt. of India is total ignorant to such issues which will literally hamper the academic future of India. He said that when many university authorities and respective Governments banned students union at the campus citing reason that it may improve the academic atmosphere there, after many years it is proved that nothing has been changed and no visible academic improvement can be seen. He praised the AMU students' community for their peaceful mode of agitation and congratulated those students who went on to hunger strike saying that when someone take the last resort to give oneself systematic pain to touch the moral of an erring person, the internal strength rises and make that human more compatible for this world. He advised students to be politically aware to know the sinister designs to exploit them. He said students must know that even if they are not interested in politics, politics is always interested in them.
Adil Hossain
M.A. (Prev) Mass Communication
Media Coordinator
AMU Students Struggle Committee