Aligarh SSP Akash Kulhary assured a delegation of AMU students that the case will be dropped since it was a peaceful march.

Aligarh police have booked 1,200 students of Aligarh Muslim University for holding a candlelight march on Tuesday evening, saying that they had violated the prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC.

Late on Thursday evening, Aligarh Senior Superintendent of Police Akash Kulhary assured a delegation of AMU students that the case will be dropped since it was a peaceful march.

While the students said that the candlelight march was held within the campus, the police claimed that it was held outside on the city road and, therefore, was in violation of Section 144.

While saying that they were not aware of the police action, the university administration said that the candlelight march was held till the Bab-e-Syed gate of the university, located within the campus. “We did not lodge any complaint and the candlelight march was held within the campus,” said Shafe Kidwai, in-charge of Public Relations of AMU.

However, Station House Officer of Civil Lines Police Station, Amit Kumar, said that the march was held near Bab-e-Syed gate. “It was held on a public road and not within the campus. The FIR has been lodged under IPC Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) against 1,200 unidentified people,” he added.

Hamza Sufyan, former vice-president of AMU Students’ Union, slammed the police action. “How can they charge us under Section 144 when it was held inside the campus. The campus is not a public property but belongs to the students of AMU. The district administration and police should not dictate to us what we do inside our campus. It was a candlelight march which is the most peaceful way to make our voices heard,” he said, adding that the march started from Chungi Gate on the campus and concluded at Bab-e-Syed Gate after which the students returned.

Meanwhile, AMU authorities are planning to open the university in a phased manner. “We are still deciding how it will be done. But it will be done in a phased manner. The dates will be decided very soon,” Kidwai said.