Schools and colleges to remain shut, internet cut in Aligarh amid protests

The Aligarh District Administration has announced that all schools, colleges and other educational institutions in the city will remain closed on December 17, 2019 after violent clashes broke out between students of the Aligarh Muslim University and the police over Delhi Police’s action against protesting students of the capital’s Jamia Millia Islamia University on Sunday.

Students at Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia were staging protests against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act which was cleared in Parliament last week. The new law has led to pan-India protests with several states refusing to implement it.

The district administration has also suspended internet services in the city from 10 pm on Sunday till midnight on Tuesday, the administration said in a tweet.

After buses were torched by a mob and Delhi Police entered the campus of Jamia Millia Islamia University and roughed up students on Sunday evening, students at the Aligarh Muslim University started protesting in solidarity with the students of Jamia. The police, however, managed to prevent the situation from escalating. Disturbing videos also emerged in which members of the police force could be seen vandalizing motor bikes and cycles of students parked on campus.

The Aligarh Muslim University is currently shut for the winter break till January 5 after vacations were extended by a week, spokesperson of AMU, Shafey Kidwai has said. The university will now reopen on January 6. All examinations have been postponed at the varsity.

On Monday morning, large groups of students were seen moving out of the AMU campus and looking for transport to leave for their home towns, following the varsity administration’s order for them to vacate hostels after the violence on campus.

University officials said that there are around 15,000 students residing in more than 100 hostels. AMU public relations officer Rahat Abrar said that efforts are being made to get all hostels vacated at the earliest. “The university is arranging buses for all students who reside within a radius of 350km. For those who live further away, we are trying to talk to railway officials to ensure trains heading towards Bihar, Assam and West Bengal halt at Aligarh station for a minute or two, to facilitate their return home,” Abrar said.

The varsity administration has decided to wind up its dining hall services from Tuesday coinciding with the winter break. “There will be no mess facility after Tuesday,” the PRO said.