AMU   CONTROVERSY

ALIGARH November 11 (IANS)

 

When the vice chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University Lt. Gen. Zameer Uddin Shah told members of the newly elected women's student union office bearers on Monday that the central library of the university was already crowded and if the girls were allowed there would be lot more boys there, little did he realise his statement would stir a hornet's nest.

 

The girls had demanded equal access to the central library a la "why should boys have all the fun," a demand which was promptly turned down both by the VC and the girls' college principal. The students union also demanded  wifi facility in their college campus, mineral water and better sanitation to check stray animals in the campus.  

 

The girl students want access to the Maulana Azad central library, as a matter of right which has been long denied to them by successive vice chancellors. "The officials seems to feel if the girls were allowed,  the library would become more a rendezvous than a serious intellectual platform to pursue studies, and this may not be palatable to the conservative sections of opinion on the campus," an ex student not wanting to be named, said.

Congratulating College administration for conducting a peaceful election, Gulfiza Khan, President  urged the University administration to facilitate extra ambulance service along with round the clock medical services, extension of library, high speed WiFi in College campus, mineral water and cleanliness and sanitation with a check on entry of stray animals in college campus.

The Vice President elect, Noorain Batool said that facilities in the Women’s College should be at par with the rest of University Campus. She demanded a six bedded hospital for girl students, extension of sports facilities and Girl’s reservation in the AMU Student’s Union. She further urged the University to distribute funds for Kashmir flood victims.

Afra Khanum, Honorary Secretary requested University authorities to extend library timings from 8 am to 8 pm. She also made a plea for construction of a Visitor’s Room for visiting parents and guardians of the girls. She said that the Chemistry Lab should be improved and new professional courses should be started in the Women’s College.

In his presidential speech, the Vice Chancellor, Lt. Gen. Zameer Uddin Shah said that the girl students were hope of India and the University had great expectations from them. He said that the Women’s College was very near to his heart and empowering the girl students figured in his priority agenda.

But his response to the demand for access to the central library has not evoked the kind of response that the top brass of the university would have found flattering. The media is now agog with all kinds of stories about discrimination.

Responding to the media hype  the university administration today denied there was any ban on the entry of girl students in the Maulana Azad Library. The officials said there was no gender bias and already PG and research students were availing of the facilties at the library.

An official told IANS "AMU Women’s College offers education in conventional undergraduate courses and is located around three kilometers away from the main campus of the University. It has its own system including the library and book bank. Maulana Azad Library was established in 1960 and AMU Women’s College in 1936 and since then the two have been functioning smoothly. The University has not imposed or introduced any new rule regarding membership to Maulana Azad Library as the media reports seem to mischievously suggest. Moreover, the University is in the process of digitizing all its libraries to resolve the problem of physical space in Maulana Azad Library."