Will take steps to preserve AMU’s minority character: V-C

Asserting that the minority character of AMU is very close to the hearts of people associated with it, Vice-Chancellor Zameer Uddin Shah on Saturday said they will take all necessary steps for its preservation.

Addressing the 63rd Annual Convocation of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) here, Shah said the university has embarked upon a very ambitious programme for the modernisation of madrassa education in the country.

“AMU was established by Muslims of India and was proud of its role in the task of nation building. The minority character of our institution is very dear to our hearts and we will take all necessary steps for its preservation,” he said.

The VC also stated that the University was receiving laurels in the sphere of cutting edge technology.

“The Department of Nanotechnology, for instance, had achieved amazing success during the past year,” he said.

The issue of restoration of minority character of AMU is at present pending with the Supreme Court. There were protests after Attorney General Mukul Rohatagi, on January 11 told the court that the NDA government did not support the idea of a state-funded minority institution in a secular state. Later at another function, the AMU Vice-chancellor said Muslims in India “are more than fifty years behind the rest of the country” in the field of education.