Life on the campus and in the city appears normal but the fear is deep-rooted. The students keep to their hostel rooms or classrooms and at night, they take turns to keep vigil. It all began with the arrest of students Mobin and Maroof on September 3. While Maroof was arrested in Agra, Mobin was picked up in what the police call a "sting" operation. Around 6 p.m. Mobin, a student of the Unani College, was erossing Anoopshahr Road across his hostel. Habib Hall, when he was dragged into a Tata Sumo and taken away. Police say he was carrying half-a-kilo of RDX. The students vehemently dispute this. "RDX is not a packet of biscuit that you had carry in your pocket", they
When local dailies flashed headlines like ISI meket busted in AMU' ... 'Terrorists nabbed on AMU rampus' ... 'AMU becoming hub of terrorist activities', the mood changed.
"There are 38 per cent non-Muslims in this university and you say there is an ISI camp running (on) the campus. Durig the World Cup after India beat Pakistan in the nuarterfinals, the campus was surrounded by the RAF at niglit They expected a riot. They came inside and found Wdineing and celebrating ... Why is our loyalty to India nlwaya piit on test? One Mobin is caught and the entire miveraly is branded a terrorist camp?" (asks a Muslim
The Haga did not end with the arrest of Mobin.On September 5 morning, an Intelligence Bureau a fact admitted by the DM. The remaining four were promptly suspended by the university and have been declared absconders ...
By now, tempers were soaring among the students. They formed a Struggle Committee but decided to protest peacefully without disrupting classes On September 7, around 15,000 students took out a silent poster demonstration, each one was. carrying a poster. They squatted on both sides of the University Road and listened to speeches by C.M. Ibrahim and others ...
The demonstration ended with the students burning the Pakistani flag and an effigy of the ISI..
The students, however, refused to let the issue be politicized. Subsequent protests were minus political leaders ... Some of the hand-made posters at the rally reflect the plight of the minority community, always looking to displaying their loyalties: 'Neither Fascist nor Communal but only Secular' ... 'Stop Mental and Physical Torture' ... 'We are Indians' ... "'We are Not ISI Agents' ... . The police asked for a closure of the university and a thorough search. The executive council of the university turned down both the proposals and instead offered a specific search. For three days, policemen in plain clothes entered the campus and conducted the search in some of the rooms, but found nothing. One significant point during the whole episode was that all the while there was nearly 80 per cent attendance in all departments.
The story is over but the pangs of pai still remain among the students. Embittered by the insinuations and discrimination, some of them have now begun openly defending Mobin ... (Source: The Week, I October, 2000)
