Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has debarred two Bangladeshi students and issued a warning to a third after they posted controversial content on social media. The posts, which referred to the ISKCON organization as a militant group and made derogatory comments about Indian women, sparked widespread backlash, leading to protests on campus.
The controversial posts came after protests and the arrest of three Hindu priests, including two ISKCON members, in connection with the recent attacks on minorities in Bangladesh. The comments were deemed offensive by many AMU students, who expressed outrage at the anti-India and anti-Hindu sentiments expressed in the posts.
AMU officials confirmed that Mehmood Hasan and Samiul Islam were debarred. Hasan, a former student, and Islam, an LLB student, are currently in Bangladesh and will not be allowed to rejoin AMU in the future. The third student, Mohammed Arif-ur-Rehman, a BA (Economics) student, received a warning letter and will be barred from further studies at AMU after completing his current course.
The university’s decision came after a protest by AMU students who demanded the expulsion of the accused. This protest, which was organized in response to the posts, highlighted the students’ dissatisfaction with the controversial remarks on Indian women, ISKCON, and other subjects.
AMU student leader Akhil Kaushal, along with Hindu students like Hitesh Mewara, filed a formal complaint on December 10, 2024, accusing Bangladeshi students of posting offensive content on Facebook. The complaint led to disciplinary action against the students. Kaushal celebrated the university’s decision by waving the Indian tricolor flag and raising slogans of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Vande Mataram” at Bab-e-Syed.
