AMU students asked to vacate hostels by Sunday

Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has asked its students to vacate hostels by tomorrow evening, after the varsity was closed indefinitely in the wake of the ongoing agitation by students over the death of a colleague.

The university was closed yesterday with immediate effect till further orders.

"We have to resort to such an extreme step of ordering closure of the university since negotiations with the students has not yielded any result," vice-chancellor PK Abdul Azis said last night.

In a reply to a question that why closure was ordered when the students were protesting peacefully, the VC said, "it is true that no violence has taken place on the campus during the agitation, but we have grave apprehension that some outside elements would instigate the students, thus posing a grave threat to peace."

Meanwhile, AMU proctor Muzaffar Siddiqui said the evacuation of hostels was underway peacefully, and three special trains will be leaving from Aligarh for different destinations.

More than 50 buses have also been deployed for students hailing from nearby districts, he added.

Security has been tightened at all sensitive points on the campus and the railway station to manage thousands of students, who are expected to leave in the next 24 hours.

Since Monday, AMU students have been protesting the murder of final-year BSc student Shahnawaz over road rage the previous day. The protesters were demanding ouster of VC PK Abdul Azis and others.