New
Age Islam News Bureau
27 July
2020
Milli Al Ameen College, Kolkata/ Photo Courtesy/ Admission24.com
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Milli Al
Ameen College for Girls is a minority educational institution of Kolkata
established by the Muslims of Kolkata for the educational upliftment of Muslim
girls. It was established in 1992, during the Left Front government and had
acquired the status of a minority institution. But ironically, this minority
institution lost its minority status in TMC government under Mamata Banerjee
whom the Muslims of Bengal brought to power in the state in the hope that her
government will undo the injustices done to the community by the previous
government. On the contrary, the college under Mamata Banerji's government is
on the verge of closure due to the government's apathy and internal differences
of the Muslim community. The educational system of the college has collapsed
and according to reports, about only fifty students are studying in the college
and only two permanent teachers are working there.
Baisakhi Banerji joining the BJP in Delhi in August 2019/Photo courtesy
The Statesman
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The controversy
started in 2012, one year after Mamata government came to power. Three teachers
were suspended by the governing body of the college after altercation between
the teachers. The lady teachers appealed in the court against their suspension.
They argued that the college was not a minority institution and so the college
administration did not have the power to suspend them.
In 2016,
the one-member bench of the Calcutta High Court rejected the minority status of
the college and reinstated the teachers. One of the suspended teachers was
Baisakhi Banerji who is said to be close to the Higher Education Minister
Partho Chatterjee. She was made the Teacher-in-Charge of the college. The
college filed an appeal against the judgement in the one-member Division Bench
but withdrew the appeal on Mamata Banerji's assurance. But nothing was done. In
the meantime, some teachers of the college were transferred and the education
system in the college was affected badly.
On 14th
July a meeting of prominent personalities of Kolkata was held in which the
representatives of the college administration and the founder committee Milli
Education Organisation were also present. In the meeting, it was resolved that
since the Supreme Court had recognised the minority character of the college,
and the state government was not recognising its minority character, the
committee will now seek the intervention of the court against the state
government.
Baisakhi Banerji with Shobhan Chatterji/Photo courtesy: The Indian
Express
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Soon after
this meeting, the state government appointed Mr Javed Ahmad Khan, a minister in
the state government the president of the college perhaps to prevent the
committee from going to court against the government. Mr Khan assured the
Muslim community that he will try to resolve the issue and bring the college
back on track. But the organising committee has said that it will not accept
anything less than the minority status of the college.
Interestingly,
Baisakhi Banerji is close to former Mayor Shoban Chatterji and had joined the
BJP and according to the Assistant Secretary of Milli Education Organisation,
Baisakhi Banerji and Shobhan Chatterji are going to attend the BJP meeting to
be held in Delhi from 23rd to 28th July. In this meeting, the strategy for gaining
power in West Bengal will be chalked out.
The Milli
Organisation has alleged that the Education Ministry of the Mamata government
has ruined the education system of the college to guard the interests of a
particular lady teacher. It also accused Baisakhi Banerji of stealing important
files from the college, though Baisakhi refuted the allegation saying she only
sent for some files pertaining to the promotion of the non-teaching staff of
the college. "If I have stolen the files, why didn't they issue show cause
notice to me? “she said.
On the
other hand, the organising committee says that they filed a complaint with the
local police but the police did not take any action.
The
President of the Milli Organisation Mushtaque Ahmad Siddiqui said that they
have been talking to the representatives of the government and have also got
assurances but the Education Minister later goes back on his word.
It seems
that the state government doesn't want to reinstate the minority status of the
college and also wants to prevent the committee from going to court. That's why
it is dilly-dallying the issue. As the controversy goes on, the studies of the
students are affected and it may also discourage girls to seek admission in
this college in the ongoing session thereby putting a question mark on the
future of this college.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-politics/government-apathy-disunity-muslim-community/d/122474
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