AMU students protest demanding early appointment of new VC

The protesting students handed over a memorandum to a senior university official addressed to the President of India

Aligarh: A section of students at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on Monday held a protest march on the campus, demanding the early appointment of a new Vice-Chancellor.

Pro Vice-Chancellor Mohhamad Gulrez took over as Acting Vice Chancellor three months ago but the formal process of appointing a new VC is still not initiated, the students claimed.

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The protesting students handed over a memorandum to a senior university official addressed to the President of India, who is also the visitor of the university.

They urged the President to take urgent remedial steps for starting the due process of appointing a Vice-Chancellor without further delay.

The memorandum stated that the absence of a regular VC is adversely affecting the functioning of the university as several important decisions can only be taken by a regular vice Chancellor.

A spokesperson for the protesting students Mohhamad Salman said that copies of their memorandum are also being sent to the Prime Minister’s Office.

The term of outgoing Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor ended in June 2022. Weeks before he was to retire, the central government extended his tenure by one year on the grounds of unusual circumstances caused by the pandemic lockdown.

A senior university teacher told PTI that following this extension the process of appointing a new Vice-Chancellor should have begun in January this year but for an unstated reason this was not done.

Mansoor had resigned weeks before his extended term ended and before he had initiated the selection process.