Student protests continue at AMU for fifth day

Protesting students of the Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday (August 12, 2025) burned an effigy of Vice Chancellor Naima Khatoon.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella organisation of various farmer bodies in the country, announced it would extend support to the AMU students, who have been protesting for five days now.

The protesting students are demanding the rollback of a steep fee hike; holding students' union elections, which have not been held in eight years; and the removal of certain senior university officials allegedly responsible for the crisis.

Several opposition MPs have written to Khatoon expressing concern over the reported police crackdown on the protesters on the campus on Friday, when many of them were offering collective prayers at the dharna site.

On Tuesday (August 12), the protesting students marched to the district collectorate here and burned an effigy of Ms. Khatoon.

In a statement, the SKM said it will highlight the students' issues along with those of farmers at a 'Virodh Diwas' protest, which will be held here on Wednesday (August 13) to oppose the privatisation of electricity supply in Uttar Pradesh.

The SKM wants a probe into the alleged police crackdown on the protesting AMU students on the campus on Friday afternoon, Shashikant, a member of the farmer group's national executive, told reporters.