AMU students' union to confer life membership to Sonia Gandhi

The Aligarh Muslim University Students' Union will confer its honourary life membership on Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Making the announcement on Wednesday, president of the AMUSU Shahzad Alam said they would extend a ceremonial welcome to the Congress president during her visit to the university on February 16 to deliver the convocation address at the 60th Annual Convocation of the institution.

"We hope that Sonia will express her views on vital issues related to the aspirations of the Indian Muslim community, especially the youth," Alam said.

AMUSU has written a letter to her highlighting the various issues being faced by the Muslim community, he said.

The first person to be honoured by the AMUSU with its life membership was Mahatma Gandhi. He was conferred the membership in 1920 at the beginning of the Khilafat Movement, said a spokesman of the university.

The students of the institution had then responded to Gandhi's call for non-cooperation by going on an indefinite strike, he said.

Meanwhile, spokesman of Kashmiri students at AMU Imtiyaz Rasool said they would not organise any protest during the Congress president's visit.

"We had participated in a protest march on the campus on Tuesday to highlight our demands for following certain humanitarian procedures related to Afzal Guru's hanging. We feel that members of his family should be allowed to follow all the necessary rituals which are normally permitted in such cases," he said.