Request for access to central library under consideration: Aligarh Muslim University

ALIGARH: The Aligarh Muslim University has informed the HRD Ministry that a request by undergraduate girls of the Women's College for access to the central library is under consideration.

The HRD Ministry on Nov 11 had sought an explanation from the AMU VC over not allowing access to women undergraduates to the main library in the campus, with Minister Smriti Irani saying that it amounted to an "insult to daughters".

AMU Registrar Dr Asfar Ali Khan, in the reply, said that AMU Women's College is an undergraduate college which has its own library, laboratories, hostels, dining hall and sports facilities.

"An oral request was made on November 10 to the AMU VC by the girls of the Women's College at the installation ceremony of the newly elected Women's College Students' Union for permitting undergraduate girls of the Women's College for gaining access to the central library. This request is under consideration", the letter said.

The AMU also told the HRD Ministry that undergraduate girls and boys of different colleges of the University are all allowed to use Maulana Azad Library.

"Undergraduate girls and boys of different AMU colleges including J N medical college, ZH Engineering College, Dr ZA dental college and the Ajmal Khan Tibbiya College are all allowed to use the Maulana Azad Library", the reply sent to the HRD ministry yesterday said.

It points out that that there is "no gender bias in any of the different facilities of the AMU including the library, swimming pool and the horse riding club".

University spokesman, Rahat Abrar said that the HRD Ministry had sought a clarification on these matters in the wake of the recent controversy on this issue.

He said that the HRD Ministry had "sought a clarification on this issue and not an explanation as was mentioned in some media reports".

Abrar said that there had been "no diktat or ban imposed by the VC on the entry of undergraduate girls in the central library as mentioned in some media reports. Whatever provisions are in place today have been so ever since the Women's College was established in the year 1936", he said.