Earlier this month, Aligarh BJP MP Satish Gautam wrote a letter to the Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University questioning why a portrait of Muhammad Ali Jinnah hung on the walls of the university. Following his demand to remove the portrait, members of the Hindu Yuva Vahini stormed through the campus with weapons, branded the students as traitors and incited violence.
In the media outburst that followed, prime-time shows on news channels conducted heated debates on the issue. ‘Experts’ were invited to decide, once again, to play ‘Who’s the anti-national’. In this frenzy, the voices of the students were drowned completely.
So, a team from Youth Ki Awaaz decided to travel to Aligarh and talk to the students. This is what they had to say about Jinnah, his portrait on campus, and the Hindu Yuva Vahini’s hooliganism.