Jinnah portrait a non-issue, says AMU VC
New Delhi, May 9: Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor on Wednesday described as "a non-issue" the Jinnah portrait in the AMU, saying it also existed in the Bombay High Court and Sabarmati Ashram.
"No one was worried about the portrait until now. I think it is a non-issue. The student agitation had no relation to the Jinnah portrait row, they were protesting against the people who came to the AMU to disturb peace on May 2," he told the media.
Mansoor spoke after meeting Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh over engaging youths in paramilitary forces.
"I met Rajnath Singh over recruitment of students in central forces like the CRPF and CISF. It was a pre-scheduled meeting. It had no relation to the Jinnah portrait row," he said.
Mansoor said the Minister assured him he would send officers from paramilitary forces to interact with the AMU students and motivate them to join central forces.
In his over half hour meeting, informed sources said, Mansoor also briefed Rajnath Singh about the current situation in the AMU.
On the demand to remove a portrait of Mohammad Ali Jinnah from an AMU hall, Mansoor said the portrait had been in the university since 1938 and it was put up at many places including the Bombay High Court and Sabarmati Ashram.
"We have already demanded a judicial inquiry into the issue."
On Tuesday, the VC urged the students protesting over the Jinnah portrait row to not let their studies suffer due to the unrest in the varsity.
Through a letter, he appealed to the students "not to fall into the trap of certain forces which are bent upon destroying the image of our alma mater and are playing with your bright future.
"Under no circumstances should you let your studies suffer, especially when your exams are just round the corner."
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UP: Misled by GPS navigation, car falls into river from partially constructed bridge, 3 dead
Bareilly (UP), Nov 24: Three people died when their car fell into the Ramganga river from a partially constructed bridge here on Sunday, police said, adding that they suspect the driver was misled by its navigation system into taking the unsafe route.
The accident occurred around 10 am on the Khalpur-Dataganj road when the victims were travelling from Bareilly to Dataganj in the Badaun district, they said.
"Earlier this year, floods had caused the front portion of the bridge to collapse into the river, but this change had not been updated in the system," Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam said.
The driver was using a navigation system and did not realise that the bridge was unsafe, driving the car off the damaged section, the police said.
There were no safety barriers or warning signs on the approach to the damaged bridge, leading to the fatal accident, Shivam said.
Upon receiving information, police teams from Faridpur, Bareilly and Dataganj police station rushed to the spot. They recovered the vehicle and the bodies from the river, Shivam added.
The circle officer said that bodies had been sent for post-mortem. Further investigation into the matter is underway.
— Bareilly Police (@bareillypolice) November 24, 2024
