Four members of Aligarh Muslim University’s Proctorial team resigned on Thursday amid ongoing student protests against the recent fee hike, following demonstrators’ demands for their removal over alleged mistreatment of protesters.
Those stepping down include Prof. Syed Ali Nawaz Zaidi (Deputy Proctor, Department of Law), Prof. Mohammad Asif (Deputy Proctor, Department of Economics), Dr. Anwar Ahmad (Assistant Proctor, Department of Commerce), and Dr. Imran Ahmad Usmani (Assistant Proctor, AMU Girls School).
According to an official memorandum, their resignations were accepted by the Vice-Chancellor “on their own request, duly forwarded and recommended by the Proctor, AMU” and took effect immediately.
However, the exact reason for the resignations was not mentioned in the memo.
When Maktoob reached out, Chief Proctor Professor Mohd. Wasim Ali confirmed the same.
The move comes in the backdrop of rising tensions on campus, with students calling the fee hike “sudden, steep, and unjustified.”
On August 4, the Proctorial team allegedly attempted to forcibly disperse a peaceful sit-in protest at Baab-e-Syed Gate.
Students claimed that they were confronted aggressively by members of the Proctorial staff and allegedly subjected to physical force, “hitting and hurting” students, despite the protest being peaceful.
Videos circulating online also showed Proctorial team members shouting at demonstrators to “vacate the road” and “protest somewhere else.”
Professors can be seen throwing away bedding laid down for the sit-in, with students resisting attempts to end the protest.
Protesters allege they were harassed, manhandled, and subjected to intimidation.
Earlier, Vice-Chancellor Naima Khatoon had assured students that a separate committee would investigate the allegations of misconduct by Proctorial staff during the August 4 incident.
Tensions escalated further when, later that week, Uttar Pradesh Police, allowed entry onto campus, allegedly assaulted protesting students, drawing widespread criticism.
Another memo issued by the Vice-Chancellor’s office announced that elections for the Aligarh Muslim University Students’ Union will be held at an “appropriate time” in accordance with the Lyngdoh Committee Guidelines.
Reinstatement of the Students’ Union was one of the major demands raised by the students, which they considered the root cause of all the issues.
Meanwhile, according to the minutes of the meeting held on August 14, the Academic Council, through video conferencing, unanimously approved recommendations to address student concerns over the recent fee hike, including that “any increase in the fee for continuing students may not exceed 20% over the rates charged in the previous academic session.”
The revision will also be implemented in phases to “reduce the immediate financial burden on students, but well before the current session is over.”
The Council further recommended “provision for fee concessions or instalment facilities” for students from economically weaker sections, to be managed by the Students’ Welfare Section.
It also urged the University to explore alternative revenue sources, such as alumni contributions, sponsored research projects, and opening infrastructure for national-level examinations on weekends.
