Students of the Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (KMC) Language University in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, have alleged that their hostel warden Azam Ansari stopped them from celebrating Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti on February 19. They continued to demand his removal on Wednesday, February 22. Meanwhile, a video of the incident has gone viral on social media.
In the video, the students can be seen preparing to celebrate Shivaji Jayanti by putting up a big portrait of him in the common area of a hostel. And Ansari was purportedly seen asking the students to get proper permission before organising such celebrations, as noted by an IANS report.
The protesting students alleged that warden Ansari forcibly removed Shivaji's portrait from the hostel premises, while the latter in his defence explained that the students had not sought prior permission from the competent authority and hence, he was against such celebrations in the open space of the hostel.
Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak took note of the incident and said in a tweet, "I have been told about it. Students have the right to celebrate it. We will look into it." Meanwhile, Vice-Chancellor Professor Narendra Bahadur Singh has set up a three-member inquiry committee which will submit its report to him within a week. He has also removed Ansari from the wardenship for the time being.
"We are probing the matter. For free and fair inquiry, Ansari has been relieved from the warden's responsibility till the pendency of the probe. The version of the students will be recorded and Ansari will also be given a chance to explain his point of view. We are not against celebrating the birth anniversary of our heroes," Singh said, as per IANS.
