Ahead of the Aligarh Muslim University Students Union’s mega protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, the district administration has shut down Internet services in the city. Section 144 of the Crpc is already in place, reports The Hindu.
AMUSU has decided to lead a protest march from the Jama Masjid of AMU to the district magistrate office on Friday after the prayers. This is the first time that AMU students are intending to cross the campus boundaries since the protests against the Bill started last week. Abhishek, Superintendent of Police (City) Aligarh, said, “Extra units of the Rapid Action Force and the PAC have been deployed. No permission has been given to take out the march as Section 144 is already in place. We would appeal to the students to submit the memorandum to the district officials at the university gate,” he said.
According to Salman Imtiaz, president of the outgoing Students’ Union, “32,000 students of the university are expected to join the peaceful mega march.” “We have also called upon AMU Teachers’ Association, AMU Court members and the non-teaching staff to join the march,” he said.
AMUSU intends to present to the district magistrate a memorandum addressed to the President and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. “We will unambiguously state that AMU rejects and will lead the nation in the peaceful struggle against this divisive act,” said Mr Imtiaz.
AMUTA is also expected to submit a memorandum to the district adminstration.
Meanwhile, Shafey Kidwai, AMU spokesperson, said the university administration had taken a strong view of the ongoing protests at Bab-e-Syed, the university gate. “It amounts to contempt of court as the Allahabad High Court had passed an order in May 2019 that banned any protest within 100 metres of the Vice Chancellor’s and Registrar’s office,” he said.
On Thursday, Yogendra Yadav of Swarajaya Abhiyan addressed the students at the university gate.