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Quota divides AU students
Allahabad University students remained divided over reservation in higher education on Friday. Students opposing reservation staged a protest against the move while the pro-reservationists adopted a resolute approach to remove any hindrance in implementing reservation.
Allahabad University students remained divided over reservation in higher education on Friday. Students opposing reservation staged a protest against the move while the pro-reservationists adopted a resolute approach to remove any hindrance in implementing reservation.
Criticising the government’s proposal for reservation, a group of students under the banner of Arakshan Virodhi Morcha (AVM) gheraoed distrcit magistrate Amrit Abhijaat and submitted a four-point memorandum for the President. AVM convenor Abhishek Shukla, joint convenor Vijay Dwivedi and spokesperson Pradeep Narayan Dwivedi led the students during the gherao.
“The students are set to revert the reservation proposal and would strongly protest against the move at the meeting of the AU admission committee scheduled to be held on April 17”, said Shukla.
In retaliation, the pro-reservationist group formed Arakhshan Samarthan Morcha (ASM). A meeting was held to formulate the strategy to defend the reservation proposal. Student leader Nirbhay Singh was unanimously elected president of the ASM while Ripusoodan Yadav was elected the vice-president.
The members threatened to stage a demonstration if reservation was not implemented by the coming session.
Earlier, on Wednesday, students and teachers of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-K) said they would fight against the OBC reservation in the premier institutes in a peaceful and democratic manner. If needed, they would move the court.
Talking to newsmen, the students and three faculty members said that they were not against any caste or community but they were definitely against the government decisions which might affect the quality of education at the prestigious institutes, like IITs and IIMs. They said that the government should provide all assistance to the OBC candidates so that they could receive good at the primary and higher secondary-level. But should get admission to the prestigious institutes only on merit basis, they added.
He said that the provision of OBC reservation would encourage a racket of getting OBC certificates for admission.
