DUBAI: The recent attack on a renowned university in India has sparked outrage among its sizeable alumni in the UAE.
On Sunday, office bearers of AMU Alumni Forum (UAE) handed a memorandum to the Consulate General of Dubai raising concerns over the May 2 incident when scores of armed men stormed into Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in northern India.
The ensuing violence and police caning left several students injured.
The 143-year-old varsity was hosting former Indian vice-president Hamid Ansari when it was attacked by right-wing activists. Condemning the attack, the memorandum, addressed to the President of India, said that such incidents were a threat to communal harmony in India.
Action sought
It also called for prompt action against those responsible for the attack. “Aligarh Muslim University is one of India’s biggest and most revered institutions. Its alumni are spread across the globe. We are deeply anguished by what has happened,” said Syed Mohammad Qutubur Rehman, president, AMU Alumni Forum, UAE.
AMU alumni associations in other parts of the region also submitted similar memorandums to India’s consulate general offices.
“The hooligans were armed with pistols and revolvers... Their plan was to attack Hamid Ansari, former vice president of India, who was present in the campus to attend an event,” read a memorandum signed by office bearers of Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Association (Jeddah Chapter). The associaton also urged students to exercise restraint.
