HRD Minister denies receiving letter from AMU VC

New Delhi: Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani on Friday denied receiving any letter from the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) vice chancellor over an event planned by BJP members on the university campus on December 1.

She said until she left office at 9 pm yesterday, she had received ‘no such letter and I can only react to contents once I read them and I receive a letter'.

Irani's comments came after media reported that AMU Vice Chancellor Lt. Gen. Zameer Uddin Shah wrote to her warning that a massive unrest over the Bharatiya Janata Party's plan to mark birthday of freedom fighter Raja Mahendra Pratap, who, according to them, had donated the land within the campus.

Earlier in the day, Shah told a news channel that he has written to Irani, saying: "There are a lot of political parties on the fringe, and please put an end to this because we do not want communal trouble in Aligarh."

"Raja Mahendra Pratap was a benefactor of the university and I also made it clear that he did not gift any land...The land was on a lease deed for which the university has paid," he said.

"My primary aim is to prevent law and order problem in the university," he added.