The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and all the affiliated institutions have been closed with immediate effect until further notice in view of the increasing violence following a student’s murder outside the campus.

AMU Vice-Chancellor Professor P K Abdul Azis has appealed to the students to vacate their hostels within 48 hours and leave for their hometown.

While the students have been on a dharna over the murder of Sahanawaz Alam, a BSc third-year student, things worsened on Thursday night when a few protesters fell ill after a hungerstrike and refused medical help.

On October 25, Alam was shot after an altercation over parking at a restaurant near the Aligarh railway station.

Although the accused was immediately arrested, the killing sparked off an agitation by a small group of students.

The university claims it acted promptly and even offered employment to a relative of the student and financial help to his family to defuse the situation, but the protesters refused to relent.

“The decision to close down was taken at a meeting presided over by the vice-chancellor,” said AMU spokesperson Rahat Abrar.

“In view of the increasing danger of violence and breach of peace in the

campus after the intervention of external forces and infiltration by anti-social elements into the students’ group, the university had to take the harsh decision to close the university to safeguard the students’ well being,” added Abrar.

The students are demanding the ouster of the vice-chancellor, resignation of Proctor Professor Muzaffar A Siddiqui and Dean of Students’ Welfare Professor Mohd Zubair Khan.

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