'Have received no such letter from AMU VC'- Smriti Irani

Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani on Friday denied receiving any letter from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Vice Chancellor Lt. Gen. (Retired) Zameer Uddin Shah regarding his concerns about holding the birth anniversary celebrations of freedom fighter Raja Mahendra Pratap within the Muslim-dominant university complex.

"I have received no such letter, I can only react once I read the letter," Irani told ANI here. According to reports, Lt. Gen. (Retired) Zameer Uddin Shah had written to the HRD Ministry warning that the holding of the event could lead to possible student unrest and communal conflagration. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has condemned Shah's statement, describing it as most unfortunate.

"Why do they have to worry about communal flare up for just remembering somebody who had made a significant contribution to this university? It is highly unfortunate; maintaining the secular character of the university is the responsibility of all the authorities," BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said.
 AMU Public Relations Officer (PRO) Rahat Abrar said the letter had been written to the HRD Ministry to inform them in advance about the likely unrest that may follow the celebrations.

"The VC has written about the conditions of the university, the resentment of the boys and how the event may lead to unrest. And, the university, which is an academic institution, has nothing to do with party politics. Our job is to inform them before hand so that they don't say later that we didn't inform them," said Abrar. 

Also Read: AMU Vice-Chancellor to HRD Minister Smriti Irani: BJP event on campus may mean trouble

Also Read: AMU VC's opposition to Mahendra Pratap's birth celebration 'unfortunate': BJP