The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued orders for the movement of students stuck in hostels due to lockdown. Recently AMU has arranged buses to send the students to their homes safely. “Initially, travel arrangements by buses for students residing in Uttar Pradesh are being made by the district administration and it will be followed for other States, including Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand, etc,” said AMU Registrar Abdul Hamid.
“Travel arrangements for students residing in UP have been made by the district administration. Students may contact their respective provost, and dean, student welfare, and proctor for any clarification in this regard,” he added.
The process of sending the students of Uttar Pradesh started on Friday itself, buses were available at the Proctors office. It is a sign of relief as many students were longing to reach their homes. Some students were also experiencing depression and anxiety issues after being restricted to their hostels and an emotional void appeared in them in this particularly tough time. Reaching home equals a matter of relief for such students. Right now, 4,000 students are residing in the AMU campus, and out of them, 1,800 are from UP alone. The number is one of the reasons why students from UP were being sent to their hometowns before that of any other state, the other reason being UP government is open to the transfer of students. Buses were sanitized and students were screened before and after travelling.
“The students are required to avail this facility as the same may not be available in the future depending on the situation,” the Registrar has emphasized.
This statement of the Registrar of the university shows that the same service won’t be made later in the future, and it is only a one-time thing to make students reach their homes.
Ex-President of Aligarh Muslim University Students Union, M Salman Imtiaz wrote a letter to Registrar Hamid expressing his concern as WHO has emphasized over limiting travel and staying indoors to prevent infection hence, according to him it is not a very safe idea. He also expressed his concern that AMU students might be targeted by Media like Tablighi Jamat and land them into unnecessary trouble. “We have witnessed the fake narrative built around Tablighi Jamaat by the fascist and Islamophobic forces in the country, in this context, there is a dangerous risk that any natural incident could be used against the university students.” wrote Salman.
Similarly, many students also think the same that they are safe in the hostel and should not leave the space and should follow the nationwide lockdown’s orders. They believe since they are being provided with the necessary facilities in the hostel, so there’s no point of travelling to their home at this point of time. They also are of the view that there is no guarantee of them not getting infected while travelling and view the whole procedure as a bluff. A matter of serious tension and panic has aroused among them. According to such students, it is nothing but a huge risk to their lives which they are not willing to take. The guidelines are regulated to send the students home with safety but nobody is sure about how this decision will unfold. Hence, they are opting to stay back in their respective hostels.
All of this arouses certain questions in our minds, “Were the orders issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs valid in every sense? Has AMU done the right thing following the orders? Will the orders turn out to be beneficial for the overall country or the government will regret issuing such orders in the days to come?”
Well, only time will answer our questions. Meanwhile, let’s pray that all this turns out to be positive and the pandemic ends soon.
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