NEW DELHI: Reacting sharply to Uttar Pradesh minister Thakur Raghuraj Singh’s alleged remarks describing Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) as “hubs of terrorists”, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Wednesday demanded his removal from the state cabinet and the registration of an FIR against him.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the association condemned the minister’s “communal” remarks that, it said, could create an atmosphere of fear and hostility among students. The students’ body added that targeting
universities on the basis of their names and identities amounted to an attempt to communalise education.
Taking a serious view of the minister’s remarks, JKSA national convenor Nasir Khuehami said, “Elected representatives holding constitutional positions should be held accountable for statements that could stigmatise educational institutions and students.”
He added, “It is disturbing that, instead of addressing the pressing challenges confronting India’s education sector, an elected representative is busy demonising universities, branding their students as potential terrorists and threatening to shut down institutions because of their names and identities.”
The association asserted that both AMU and JMI had made significant contributions to India’s educational and intellectual landscape.
