Fact Check: Hindutva Activists Didn't Protest Against Jinnah's Portrait In AMU

On Wednesday, May 2, students of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) were injured in an alleged clash with Hindu Yuva Vahini (HYV) and members of BJP’s student wing ABVP. The students were definitely injured but the reason for the clash is reported differently by different media channels.

The common narrative

The common narrative that made headlines in the media was that the members of right-wing group Hindu Yuva Vahini (HYV) and BJP’s student wing ABVP came inside the University campus and thrashed students, which led to a protest and eventually a lathi-charge. This happened three days after BJP leader and Aligarh MP Satish Gautam wrote a letter to the University Vice-chancellor about the 80-year-old Mohammed Ali Jinnah photo in the student’s union hall.

As Newslaundry reports, many theories regarding the clash have been doing rounds on social media and many news channels fell prey to those half-truth narratives.

What really happened

On May 2, student union members invited Hamid Ansari, the former Vice President and the University’s serving V-C from 2000 to 2002, to confer upon him the Lifetime Membership Award. After Ansari reached the University he was taken to the guest house near the main entrance hall.

In a short while, members of HYV and ABVP allegedly with a policeman and arms marched towards the guest house chanting “AMU ke gaddaro ko, goli maaro saalo ko” (Shoot the AMU traitors!) and “AMU Murdabad-Jinnah Murdabad’ (Death to AMU, Death to Jinnah!), reported Newslaundry.

The slogans were directed towards Hamid Ansari and the student union members in their complaint also stated that the same. Six people from HYV and ABVP were initially handed over to the police by the college administration but the police let them go.

This caused the students of AMU to protest. They demanded an FIR be registered against those men. Then they marched towards the police station to get the FIR filed and the police lathi-charged them. Tear gas was also used and some unidentified men hurled stones.