Provocation, Gunfire, Sedition: What Really Happened at AMU

Aligarh: On Thursday, senior superintendent of police Aligarh Akash Kulhary hinted that the sedition charges against 14 students of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) may be dropped. “We are not so casual that we will sustain such charges against students if there is no evidence. We will absolutely drop it. But we need to confirm that there is no evidence to back this charge,” he told NDTV.

The students were booked for sedition on February 12 after an altercation occurred on campus between two groups of students. The complainant, however, was not a student, but a local BJP leader – Mukesh Lodhi.

Protest at AMU gates. Credit: Devi Dutt

The FIR registered by the police lists nine sections of the Indian Penal Code 1860, including the draconian Section 124A – sedition. The FIR mentions that a crowd of students was screaming "Pakistan zindabad, Bharat murdabad."

The Wire spoke to several students, teachers and administration officials at AMU, including eight eye-witnesses to the February 12 fracas, in an attempt to piece together the sequence of events.

The timeline

The campus had been tense since January 22 when students, led by Ajay Singh – a law student and grandson of a BJP MLA from nearby Barauli – organised a ‘tiranga yatra’ inside the AMU campus. According to Singh, the purpose of the yatra was "to mark the celebration of Republic day." He also told The Wire that a majority of the students and the administration "opposed" the yatra.

“There were only four or five students from AMU. The others were brought from outside. They were sloganeering provocatively,” said Salman Imtiaz, president of the AMU students' union.

Singh was served a show-cause notice by the university for the gathering "without permission," which included "outsiders and anti-social elements".

Singh claims the university had granted him permission. The university denies this.

Things remained quiet for a few days after January 22. That was until February 9, when a group of students burst crackers outside the room of another student – Manish Kumar. He was also allegedly assaulted and his room trashed.

Also read: 'No Evidence' of Sedition, Charge Against 14 AMU Students Will be Dropped: Police

Then, on February 12, the AMU students’ union – an autonomous body – had called several political parties. “We wanted to bring parties together to discuss the issues of minorities in this country and how they can find political representation. The idea is to have a coalition of some sort among minority parties,” said Imtiaz.

An invitation was also sent to Asaduddin Owaisi, president of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, who did not confirm his participation. “But local media outlets started reporting that he will be coming to campus,” said a student.

Ajay Singh wanted to oppose the proposed visit of Owaisi. “His politics are communal and his brother has given inflammatory speeches against a particular community. That is why it is not ideal for a university campus to host people like them," Singh said, explaining his opposition to The Wire.

Singh, with a small group of students, was protesting outside the proctor’s office. By all accounts, the protest began peacefully.

Meanwhile, a group of AMU students – at another location inside the campus – got into a brawl with a group of journalists from Republic TV. The channel did not have permission to shoot inside the campus, but began regardless. A security official asked them to either get permission or stop filming. The crew got increasingly agitated and a heated argument ensued. Students, too, joined.

According to several students we spoke to, a Republic TV journalist referred to the students as "terrorists". She has since denied this.

Protests against sedition charges in AMU. Credit: Devi Dutt

“If you come to our home and call us terrorists, naturally we will be agitated,” said Najmul Saqib, a third year B.Com student, who was present at the spot.

A scuffle involving university security officials, Republic TV journalists and students broke out. The video camera that the journalists were carrying fell and shattered. The journalists were subsequently escorted out of the campus by security officials.

The action then shifted to the proctor’s office where Ajay Singh and his group were protesting. According to Singh, a "crowd" attacked him unprovoked, while the other group claims that him and his group caused provocations.

Both groups have also alleged that the other opened fire with a pistol.

“Firstly, the group was comprised of people from outside. They were abusing and chanting slogans. We opposed this. We told them that this is not in the interest of the university. Then they began to flee and fired as they ran,” said Farhan Zubairi, a student who was at the spot. He has been charged with sedition.

“I was sitting peacefully and around 1,000 students came to attack me for no reason. They were the ones who fired,” said Singh. “They beat me up badly and I have a hairline fracture in my spine.” Several other students, too, sustained minor injuries.

Also read: After Fracas with Republic TV, AMU Students Booked for Sedition

Both groups have challenged the police and administration to go through the CCTV footage to ascertain the truth.

The police is now investigating the matter, working in tandem with the university administration. They have received several complaints from different groups of students. The charge of sedition, by the SSP’s own admission, appears to be an overreach. “There is no prime evidence regarding sedition in this case,” he told the Indian Express.

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