AMU Students Block Aligarh-Moradabad Highway Demanding Release of Arrested student

Aligarh (UP): Hundreds of AMU students blocked traffic on the main Aligarh-Moradabad Highway overnight, demanding release of a student who was held for allegedly heckling the AMU Vice Chancellor during his Republic Day speech, a university official said on Monday.

The blockade, which started on Sunday evening, continued till 2 am, resulting in the University cancelling an exam scheduled for Monday, the official said.

AMU Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor was heckled by a group of students on Sunday, during his Republic Day speech. He had termed the recent happenings on campus as "unfortunate", adding that peaceful protests would be allowed on any issue within the ambit of law.

Four students -- Tahir Azmi, Rafiuddin, Sudhir Gulati and A Mujtaba Faraz, were identified for involvement in the heckling. They were handed over to the police.

However, when by the afternoon, a group of protesters gathered at the gate of the AMU Proctor's office demanding their release, three of them were let go. "Three students have been released and Faraz is sent to jail," said the AMU Proctor, Prof Afifullah Khan.

As news of the incident spread in the campus, huge crowds of protesters began to gather near the Purani Chungi gate of the University and blocked the Aligarh-Moradabad Highway.

"The examinations which were to be held at the AMU Engineering College on Monday were cancelled as a large number of protesters collected at the gates of the Zakir Hussain College of Engineering," Khan said.

Referring to students' demand for Faraz's release, the Proctor said that a group of teachers and top university officials had met senior district officials and were hopeful that he would soon be out on bail.

The AMU campus has been witnessing protests against the amended Citizenship Amendment Bill and over 1200 students, including those not identified, have been booked in about a dozen odd cases connected to different protests.