Row over Jinnah in AMU: Muslim Mahasangh in Rampur announces Rs 1 lakh reward for burning photo

Blaming Jinnah for having broken the country at the time of partition, Farhat - the national head of All-India Muslim Mahasangh - announced the reward.

PTI Photo

New Delhi: The Muslim Mahasangh in Rampur on Friday announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for burning the photo of Muhammad Ali Jinnah which has created a massive uproar at the Aligarh Muslim University.

Blaming Jinnah for having broken the country at the time of partition, Farhat - the national head of All-India Muslim Mahasangh - announced that the reward would be given to anyone who burns Jinnah's photo which created ruckus at AMU earlier this week.

The controversy erupted when reports emerged that a portrait of Jinnah had been displayed on the walls of  the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) student union office.  Aligarh MP and BJP leader Satish Gautam last Monday wrote to Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor objecting to Pakistan founder's picture on the walls of the AMUSU office. Defending the portrait, apparently hanging there for decades, AMU spokesman Shafey Kidwai had, a day later, said that Jinnah was a founder member of the University Court and granted life membership of the student union.

The entire matter has snowballed into a BJP vs Congress fight with Congress leaders saying that calls to have the portait removed was a political gimmick. "Before partition, Jinnah fought for India's independence. It's a different matter that country was divided in which he played a crucial role. But to remove his portrait from AMU is a political gimmick by BJP," Congress' Karan Dalal had said.

Meanwhile, tensions are high inside the AMU campus and elsewhere.

Protest held outside #UttarPradesh Bhavan in #Delhi against clashes at Aligarh Muslim University over Md. Ali Jinnah's portrait in the University campus pic.twitter.com/e3eUoMpeOG — ANI (@ANI) May 4, 2018

News agency PTI reported that the District Magistrate on Friday ordered the suspension of internet services in AMU till Sunday in order to prevent rumour mongering and flaring up of communal tensions.