150 AMU students booked for ruckus after inmate's suicide

Agra: More than 150 students of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) were booked in connection with the ruckus on the campus on Tuesday night after police entered the premises to investigate reports of suicide by a hostel inmate. According to police, while six students have been identified for indulging in violence and destruction of government property, including the car of the SP (city), efforts are on to establish the identities of the others.

Police said that they initially arrived at the campus around 10 pm on Tuesday after being informed by the proctorial office about the suicide by a student, Anas Shamsi, who hanged himself in his room in Mumtaz hostel of Aftab hall. Trouble aggravated after policemen decided to take away the youth’s body for completion of formalities, including post mortem. Students gathered there and prevented them from doing so.

As additional forces arrived there, a group of students, led by Mohamad Umar Farooq surrounded the vehicle of Aligarh superintendent of police (SP) Abhishek and he had to be rescued to safety by cops. Protesting students indulged in brick batting in which the SP’s car was also damaged. They also raised slogans against the police and demanded that they “go back”.

A large number of students also gathered at the vice-chancellor lodge, demanding that the police be sent out from the campus. As violence escalated, more forces were sent to the campus and the situation was brought under control around 2 am. Police beefed up security, with the deployment of Rapid Action Force (RAF) outside the university.

An FIR was registered against the students under Section 147 (rioting), 342 (wrongful confinement), 336 (Act endangering life or personal safety of others), 352 (assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of IPC and section 7 in the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1932 at civil lines police station.

However, the university administration has not taken any action against the protestors so far. When contacted, proctor Afifullah Khan said that the university will also lodge an FIR against the protesters, who attacked the police force and also launch disciplinary proceedings against rowdy students after identifying them.

According to AMU administration, Anas hailed from Pilibhit and had returned to the hostel just three days ago. His friends told the administration that he had been quiet since ever he returned from his home town. In the last update of his WhatsApp status, he wrote: “I am glad to go”, on Tuesday morning before taking the extreme step.