Non-Muslim Students Forced To Starve During Ramzan At Aligarh Muslim University

Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), which was recently in news for financial irregularities amounting to more than Rs 28 crore, has made a comeback to the news cycle, this time for forced starvation of non-Muslim students during Ramzan. According to reports, the non-Muslim students in the university hostels are not being served food and refreshments from sunrise to sunset, reportedly to ‘maintain the sanctity’ of the Muslim holy month of Ramzan.

Talking to ScoopWhoop, vice-president of the AMU students' union Nadeem Ansari has confirmed the news. He said that university has been following this tradition for over 50 years and it has never been an issue. On being asked how non-fasting students manage during Ramzan, Ansari said that they "arrange for their food" themselves. Defending university authorities, he called the outrage fabricated and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state of manufacturing it.

The portal also contacted a non-fasting Hindu student, who said that no meal is served in the hostels other than the one served at dawn for sehri (around 2.30 am) and the one after 7pm for iftar. "Today, I ate my first meal around 2.30 am. All I had in the day was a packet of Maggi and some lime water. I'll next eat at iftar. It's almost like I am forced to observe the fast too. It's forced starvation,” he was quoted as saying.

Another non-fasting Hindu student said that the area the university is located is predominantly Muslim and they have nowhere to go for food during the day. “The nearest dhaba is some 4 km away. But not everyone has a vehicle to go there. So we end up feeling hungry all day,” he said.

This news has also been confirmed by other outlets, including ABP News and Hindi daily Hindustan. Talking to ABP News, public relations officer of the university, Omar S Peerzada, defended the practice and claimed that it was started years ago by non-Muslim students of the university as a sign of ‘mutual respect’.