By IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, 19 Nov 2014: In a good move to explain his points and sweeten the recent soured relations between Aligarh Muslim University and Times of India, Vice Chancellor Lt. Gen. Zameeruddin Shah reached Times House, the head office of the national English daily here Tuesday evening. The VC met Executive Editor Arindam Sengupta, Senior Editor Vikas Singh and Aligarh correspondent of the daily whose story on the VC’s alleged sexist statement had created a storm 10 days ago.
“The meeting lasted for almost 2 hours, and was conducted in a very cordial atmosphere, and ended on a happy note,” said Press Council of India chairman Justice Markandey Katju who mediated the meeting.
“The Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, General Zameeruddin Shah, telephoned me from Aligarh this morning (Tuesday) and said that he was coming to Delhi for some work, and could I arrange a meeting between the Editor of ‘ Times of India ‘ and him. I said it is no problem. I then telephoned my friend Arindam Sengupta, the Executive Editor of ‘ Times of India ‘, and said that the Vice Chancellor of AMU would like to meet him in the evening. Arindam immediately agreed, and suggested that the Vice Chancellor meet him in the Times House on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg at 5.30 p.m. I conveyed this to the Vice Chancellor, and requested him to meet me at my residence after his meeting with Arindam. The Vice Chancellor met Arindam in the latter’s office in the evening. Mr. Vikas Singh, the Senior Editor, and the lady journalist of Times of India posted in Aligarh were also present in the meeting,” Justice Katju wrote on his facebook page a little past midnight Tuesday.
At the installation ceremony of AMU’s Women’s College students union on 10 Nov, the VC had said that if girls were allowed in the Maulana Azad Library, the central library of the university, there would be a rush of boys. A section of media led by Times of India termed it as a ban on girls in the library. However, the university administration later clarified that the central library already has 2700 women students as members, and there was no question of any ban. The university also said that there is an exclusive library for undergraduate girl students in the premises of the women’s college of the university, and so they are not allowed in the central library to avoid overcrowding.
However, the VC was widely condemned for his statement. Students also criticized him but they also got together against the biased reporting by a section of media over the issue. They held a huge protest demonstration on 12 Nov and later the VC called for a ban on the entry of Times of India in the campus.
In his meeting with the Editors of the daily, the VC put his points across:
1. He had not introduced any new rule for the Maulana Azad library in AMU. The rule had been existing since long before he became the Vice Chancellor, that only postgraduate and engineering and medical college girl students were allowed in the Maulana Azad library.
2. As regards the undergraduate girl students who lived in the Abdullah Hall of the Women’s College, which is 3 kms. from Maulana Azad library, they had never been permitted to go to the Maulana Azad library, but they had their own library in Abdullah Hall. If they wanted any book from Maulana Azad library they could get them online, but in the last 3 years or so only 23 such requests had been made.
3. The Vice Chancellor had gone to the Women’s College for a function to install the newly elected office bearers. There, some girl students said that the undergraduate girls should also be allowed to go to the Maulana Azad library. The Vice Chancellor said that the library was already overcrowded, and there was no more place to sit. He then said in lighter vein that if girls were allowed to go to the Maulana Azad library many boys would be attracted. This remark had been misconstrued as if he had some gender bias, which was not true.
No ban on TOI in AMU campus
Clarifying his position on the alleged ban on Times of India in the AMU campus, the VC told the editors of the daily he had not passed any order banning Times of India, but admitted that he made a mistake in saying orally before the students that the Times of India would not be allowed in AMU.
The Vice Chancellor also said that he will treat the young lady journalist posted in Aligarh as his daughter, and she need have no worry.
I was very impressed by General Shah: Justice Katju
Justice Markandey Katju
After his meeting at Times House, the VC of AMU drove to the residence of Justice Markandey Katju and had one hour talk with him. In his facebook post, Justice Katju wrote about the VC:
“He appeared to me a very upright man with good intentions. However, I repeated to him my advice which I had offered to him earlier on telephone: he should be more discrete, and if any demand or appeal is made to him he should not straightaway say yes or no, but instead say “I will consider “. Later, after cool deliberation, and after considering all aspects of the matter and their ramifications, and after consulting relevant people, he may say yes or no. I told him that I was 2 years older than him, so he should take it as an advice by an elder brother. He accepted the advice gracefully.”
Press Council chairman Justice Katju has now appealed to students of AMU to treat the matter as closed.
“Now my appeal to the students of AMU is that they should treat the matter as closed. AMU has been a great center of learning renowned all over the world, and the passing cloud should be allowed to pass away. If that happens, which I am confident it will, my reward will be the satisfaction that I have contributed to that end,” he said.
