The Aligarh Muslim University Students’ Union (AMUSU) has landed in fresh trouble even as the union seems to be getting divided on account of sharp difference of opinions. The students’ union passed a no-confidence motion against its president, Salman Imtiaz. The motion was passed against the union president, Salman Imtiaz for extending support to the CPI candidate, Kanhaiya Kumar, who is contesting from the Begusarai constituency in Bihar. Some student leaders have suggested that the office bearers of the union cannot directly support or oppose a political party or a candidate.
The vice president of the AMU students’ union, Hamza Sufyan, has reportedly sent a letter to the Vice Chancellor of the University stating that a no-confidence motion has been passed against Imtiaz at the general body meeting of the students’ union on 25th April, bearing the signatures of 107 students. The letter makes it clear that the voting on the motion will take place on 10th May, if the president fails to satisfy the general body of his actions in the intervening period of 14 days.
The letter makes certain serious allegations against Imtiaz. The Vice-President Sufiyan has alleged that the union president is in the habit of concealing important issues from the executive members and had also kept the decision to support a specific candidate/party (Kanhaiya Kumar) during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls undisclosed. The letter also alleged that Imtiaz has been caught with illegal weapons. In his letter Sufiyan further indicted Imtiaz of ‘terrorising’ students and attempting to ‘bury’ their voices. The letter states, “He has created a toxic environment for both the students and the administration.”
The AMU students’ union secretary, Huzaifa Amir, has however taken a totally different stand. He claimed that no such motion, as claimed by the vice president, was passed during the general body meeting. He told TOI that he had attended the meeting held on 25th April but left after a clash broke out between two factions of students outside the union hall and till then, no motion was passed. According to a Jagran report, Amir has also stated that the one who makes a mistake, does get an opportunity to make a clarification and put across his point. He argued that a motion could not have been passed in his (Imtiaz’s) absence. He also argued that the general body meeting could not have been convened by the vice president because he was not given the charge of affairs by Imtiaz before leaving for Begusarai to support Kanhaiya Kumar and therefore the meeting itself was invalid.
It seems that the top functionaries of the AMU students’ union are involved in a complex and bitter conflict as they have fallen out over a serious issue. Now, it remains to be seen how the union president reacts to these developments and how things pan out thereafter.