AMU says students can 'freely' celebrate Holi at NRSC Hall on March 13-14

    Aligarh (UP), Mar 8 (PTI) Amid demands for allowing Holi celebration on the Aligarh Muslim University campus, its administration has decided that students can do so "freely" at the Non-Resident Students Centre Hall, an official said.
    A controversy erupted a few days ago after members of a right-wing group accused the university administration of denying permission to Hindu students to organise a Holi Milan function on campus and demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention.
    Later, local BJP MP Satish Gautam declared that "no one can stop anyone from celebrating Holi inside the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus".
    "If any Hindu student faces any problem in celebrating Holi on campus, I am there to help them," he had said.
    Student leader Akhil Kaushal had submitted an application to the AMU administration, requesting approval for a special Holi celebration at the Non-Resident Students Centre (NRSC) Hall on March 9.
    Late on Friday, the NRSC Hall provost Professor Brij Bhushan Singh told reporters that any university student could "freely" celebrate Holi at the hall on March 13-14.
    He also said there was an AMU board examination scheduled for March 9.
    "So, I think it would not be appropriate if any student comes (here) and plays Holi on that day. March 10, 11 and 12 are working days and there will be classes... March 13-14 are holidays and everyone is welcome to play Holi," Singh said.
    Established in 1943, the NRSC is a centre for non-resident male students of the university from undergraduate to PhD. It is a centre for sports, literary, hobbies and cultural activities. According to the university website, the NRSC has been a symbol of communal harmony and cultural exchange.
    Local Congress leader and former Aligarh MLA Vivek Bansal accused the BJP of "deliberately" stoking controversy and called the episode "unfortunate".
    Bansal, an AMU alumnus, shared his personal experience, saying, "We always used to celebrate Holi with friends at AMU and I never recollect any bitterness or opposition on this issue from anyone. Then why is the BJP engaging in provocative politics and trying to disturb the peace?"
    AMU chief spokesperson Professor Vibha Sharma said the university always had a beautiful tradition of celebrating Holi and all other festivals in which students, teachers and non-teaching staff got together and shared the joy.
    "Special permission for any such celebration has never been sought and we never felt the need for such a formal function. It is our continuing endeavour that this spirit of friendship should always continue," Sharma said.
    When contacted on Saturday, AMU proctor Mohammad Waseem Ali confirmed the provost's statement.
    "As always, the doors of the NRSC would be open for all bona fide non-resident students to come and celebrate Holi on March 13-14," he said.
    A senior university official told PTI, "We are very proud of our tradition of celebrating all festivals in the spirit of brotherhood. Last year, however, we had an unpleasant experience when some Hindu students sought permission for a special function."
    "Despite our refusal, some external anti-social elements who had nothing to do with any bona fide student barged into the campus and started harassing women students near the Zakir Hussain College of Engineering," the official said.
    He added that it could have led to a serious breakdown of law and order on a working day when classes were underway. Fortunately, the crisis was averted.
    "Since then, we have become increasingly cautious on such occasions," the AMU official said.
    Expressing happiness over the development, the BJP's Uttar Pradesh spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said Holi would now be celebrated in AMU as well.
    "Holi is a festival of enthusiasm, excitement and colours. It seems that some people are busy tarnishing Holi," he said.
    "AMU does not belong to a particular religion. Why did the secular community remain silent when Holi was not celebrated in AMU?" he asked.
    All India Muslim Jamaat president Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi, however, said religious festivals should not be celebrated in academic institutions.
    "In AMU, the administration has avoided a controversy by granting permission to celebrate Holi. The administration has taken a good step by granting permission," he said.
    "AMU is the pride of India. Students of all religions study there. There should not be a wrong tradition of celebrating religious festivals. The tradition of religious festivals will harm teaching. There should not be any religious dispute in universities. People of all religions should respect all festivals," he said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)