The Student Union of Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) expressed its concerns and condemned the move of the Central government ordering a half-day closure of all central government offices, institutions and industrial establishments, calling it “a blatant attempt to infiltrate and saffronize the public institutions”.
In a press release issued on Saturday, the union said that the decision imposed by the RSS-led BJP government “poses a significant threat to the democratic and secular principles upheld by the Indian constitution.”
In the statement, the union said that the move sets the foundation for the aim of the “majoritarian state backed by the RSS to make India a Hindu Rashtra.”
“It (the state) is deepening its roots and taking control over the educational institutions, imposing religious observances upon them, and eroding the very idea of India,” the union said.
The statement issued by the President of the union, Mateen Ashraf, raised concern over the decision, deeming it as the “encroachment of Hindutva ideology into the decision-making processes of the universities.”
“The sanctity of academic institutions lies in fostering autonomy, freedom of thought, tolerance, and a pluralistic approach to education. Any attempt to politicize or align these spaces with Hindutva ideology is a threat to the idea of the university,” Ashraf said in the statement.
Expressing its commitment to safeguarding the principles of democracy, secularism, pluralism, social justice, and intellectual freedom within the university and beyond, the union urged its university administration to uphold the principles of diversity, inclusivity, and academic freedom in MANUU. The union called upon the larger student community, faculty, and concerned citizens to join hands in resisting any undue influence that seeks to compromise the secular fabric of our educational institutions.
The Central government on Thursday announced a half-day for all central government institutions, owing to the Ayodhya temple consecration scheduled on Monday, January 22. Many States have also called for a holiday or half-day for educational institutions among others.
