Drop Muslim and Hindu from names of BHU, AMU, UGC suggests

Words such as Hindu and Muslim in names of universities--Banaras Hindu University and Aligarh Muslim University--do not reflect their secular character and should be dropped, a UGC panel has recommended.

The suggestion is contained in an audit of AMU by one of five committees set up by the University Grants Commission (UGC) on April 25 at the behest of the HRD Ministry to probe complaints of irregularities against 10 central universities. The AMU audit did not cover BHU but referred to the institution’s name in its report.

In its audit of AMU, the committee suggested that the institution should either be called just ‘Aligarh University’ or be named after its founder, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. It cited the same reason to recommend that BHU’s name be amended, too, reported The Indian Express.

The panel was formed to probe the alleged irregularities in 10 central universities and the recommendations have been made in the audit report of AMU.

Centrally funded universities are secular instituions but such words related to religion in their names do not reflect that character, a panel member said on the conidition of anonymity.

The universities can be simply called Aligarh University and Banaras University or be renamed after their founders, the panel member added.

Besides AMU and BHU, other universities that were audited by the panel 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.

With inputs from PTI