Tempers ran high at Uday Pratap College here after a large group of students staged a demonstration demanding the removal of a mosque from the campus.
On Friday, hundreds of students gathered at the college gate, shouting "Jai Shri Ram" and waving saffron flags. They attempted to enter the campus, but were stopped by police.
Student leader Vivekanand Singh said if the land on which the mosque stands does not belong to the Waqf board, the structure should be removed from there.
He added that if namaz continues to be offered at the mosque, students would respond by reciting the Hanuman Chalisa there.
Confirming the development, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Cantonment, Vidush Saxena said, "although the situation became a bit aggressive, police was able to contain the issue."
The ACP says few miscreants have been identified and necessary action would be taken
Amidst the worsening situation, police on Thursday restricted outsiders' entry into the campus and allowed entry to only those students who held valid identity cards.
The move comes a day after Tuesday's agitation wherein students recited the Hanuman Chalisa when namaz was being offered near the mosque. According to local police, seven men were briefly detained after Tuesday's row.
In a related development, students of the college have formed a "student court" and sent an 11-point letter to the Uttar Pradesh Waqf Board, demanding a response within 15 days regarding the status of the mosque and its ownership.
Mohammad Yaseen, joint secretary of the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, had earlier said that he wrote to the Uttar Pradesh Central Waqt Board to check the status of the mosque on Tuesday itself.
"The Uttar Pradesh Central Waqf Board has clarified that its 2018 notice claiming the mosque as Waqf property was cancelled on January 18, 2021. There is no reason for the current controversy," Yaseen had claimed.
The clashes erupted after students protested the "outsiders" conducting prayers at the mosque, raising concerns over unauthorized entry into the college campus.
A local official said that the management had complained to the administration seeking verification of identity of the entrants into the campus and that police have been since vigilant to prevent further disruption.
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