A UGC panel has suggested to remove the words 'Muslim' and 'Hindu' from the names of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and Banaras Hindu University (BHU) as this will better reflect their secular character.
This suggestion was suggested by one of the five committees set up by the University Grants Commission (UGC) for the audit of the central universities of the nation.
These committees were set up by the UGC at the behest of the HRD ministry. The main aim of the committees was to probe complaints about the irregularities against 10 central universities. Apart from AMU other institutions which were subjected to the audit include: Pondicherry University,
Allahabad University, Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University in Uttarakhand, Central University of Jharkhand, Central University of Rajasthan, Central University of Jammu, Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya in Wardha, University of Tripura and Hari Singh Gour University in Madhya Pradesh.
The audit of the universities was limited to their infrastructure, academic, research and financial operations.
In its audit of AMU, the committee suggested that the institution should just be called Aligarh University or named after its founder, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. The committee presented the same set of reasons for amending the name of the BHU as well.
According to the members, the suggestion stems from the logic the AMU is a centrally-funded university and therefore, a secular institution.
The committee also recommended that the section process of AMU's vice-chancellor should be tweaked to match the selection process followed in other central universities. Currently, AMU has a greater say in the appointment process of the vice-chancellor.
The report also raised the concerns over the complaints regarding the issue of teachers being promoted within the university even when there are no vacant posts in the university and asked the UGC to look into such cases.