Subsequently, the Urdu department of BHU had withdrawn the poster with Allama Iqbal sketch and replaced it with that of Madan Mohan Malviya.
The Newster
Banaras Hindu University is once again under the political radar over the portrayal of Allama Iqbal on its Urdu department event on poet’s birth anniversary.
The Urdu department of the varsity has celebrated the birth anniversary of celebrated poet and philosopher of undivided India on November 9 and used Iqbal’s sketch on its programme schedule, as any event organizer with sane and just mind would do.
But some right-wingers had made controversy out of it. It seems that they are not democratic enough to see a Muslim’s poet sketch in a so-called Hindu university.
Many on internet has lambasted at university’s Urdu department for using Allama Iqbal’s sketch instead of BHU’s founder Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya.
Subsequently, the department had withdrawn the poster and replaced it with the one with Madan Mohan Malviya’s sketch on it.
Later on, the university administration has issued a warning letter to HoD Urdu, Prof Aftab Ahmed and constituted a committee to investigate the matter. The dean also publicly apologised for the said mistake (if one considers it). Prof Altaf said that his intention was not to hurt anyone’s sentiments.
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The poster drew flak from BHU students on social media as soon as it went viral. Some students have also registered complaint with the dean of Faculty of Arts under which the Urdu department functions and demanded strict action in the matter.
In the complaint, the students alleged that speakers in the programmes have used communal and extremely objectionable language.
It is worth noting that we the proud Indians still sing ‘Sare Jahan Se Achcha’ with all the nationalistic zeal but the poet who wrote it is being vilified every now and then.
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