AMUTA to take up land row in next executive committee meeting
Discontent within AMU is on the rise over the land row after the Aligarh Municipal Corporation re-established possession of a four-hectare land which was being used by AMU for horse riding for 80 years.
The Aligarh Muslim University Teachers Association (AMUTA) is set to take up the issue of the municipal corporation taking possession of a four-hectare land in the next executive committee meeting to be called by the newly elected office-bearers.
Discontent within AMU is on the rise over the land row after the Aligarh Municipal Corporation re-established possession of a four-hectare land which was being used by AMU for horse riding for 80 years.
In a meeting on April 2 evening, AMUTA had a consultative meeting and condemned the way the municipal corporation took possession of land “lawfully owned by AMU”. The meeting also demanded that accountability on the part of faculty responsible for the action be fixed.
“We condemn the municipal corporation’s action taken on Wednesday (April 30) and look forward for corrective measures to set the record straight. AMU is the rightful owner of the land which was in its possession for decades,” stated Prof Obaid Siddiqui, secretary of AMUTA, whose term ended on April 2.
Prof Tufail Ahmed, the newly elected president of AMUTA, also criticised the municipal action and said all possible options--legal, political, and administrative--would be considered. “These will be discussed at the executive committee meeting,” he said on Sunday.
Meanwhile, M Salman Imtiaz, former president of the AMU Students’ Union, addressed a press conference in Aligarh on Sunday, calling the municipal action illegal for being carried out without proper notification.
“AMU has been in possession of the land for the last 80 years and has documents and evidence to prove its title. The action by the Aligarh Nagar Nigam has caused distress to everyone connected to AMU, past and present,” he said.
However, the district administration defended the municipal corporation’s move. Speaking to Hindustan Times on Friday, Koil SDM Digvijay Singh said, “Anyone claiming rights over land must have proper mutation in the revenue records. There is no mention of AMU in the records. The land is registered as ‘banjar’ (barren) and belongs to nagar nigam.”
“We followed due process and gave AMU ample opportunity to provide ownership proof. Apart from a British-era document from 1913, they were unable to produce adequate records. Hence, the nagar nigam took possession of the land,” he added.
