Indian university quietly removes Jinnah-Gandhi picture after uproar

NEW DELHI: A few months after picture of Pakistan’s Father of the Nation Muhammad Ali Jinnah was put on display at the India’s Aligarh Muslim University sparking controversy, the university administration once again triggered outrage after they displayed snaps of Mahatma Gandhi with Quaid-e-Azam in the varsity. 

The pictures, however, were quietly removed afterwards and librarian of the varsity was issued a show-cause notice in this regard, the Times of India reported.

The pictures were put on display at an exhibition, at the library’s central hall, as part of the Gandhi birth celebrations.

Read: Indian minister hails Jinnah as ‘great man’ amid picture row

University spokesperson Shafey Kidwai told the paper that the AMU administration was not aware of such pictures, which were removed soon afterwards.

According to the report, AMU issued a show-cause notice to librarian Amzad Ali.

Earlier in May, violence had erupted in the AMU campus, after the varsity students objected to the protests by right-wing group on the campus, demanding the removal of Jinnah’s portrait from the students’ union office.

The same month Indian minister belonging to ruling Bharatiya Janata Party slammed his own party MP for questioning Aligarh Muslim University for displaying a photograph of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the institute.

Calling Jinnah a ‘mahapurush’ (great man) who contributed for India before Pakistan was formed, Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Swami Prasad Maurya told reporters, “Jin bhi mahapurushon ka yogdan is rashtra ke nirman mein raha hai yadi unpar koi ungli uthata hai to bahut ghatiya baat hai… (It is shameful for anyone to point a finger on great leaders who contributed towards formation of the country).”