Reshma / Aligarh

“Aligarh Muslim University has 100 hostels. If all the students living in hostels do research on even one freedom fighter, then everyone's story can be revealed. University-educated girls can include women freedom fighters in their research." This is what PM Narendra Modi said while inaugurating Centenery celebrations of the  AMU on 22 December 2020.

Following this, the university has started research on four great men. It also includes Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh. Raja Mahendra Pratap had given land to AMU on lease and also defeated Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the Lok Sabha elections from Mathura.

These names were chosen for research at the behest of PM.

While inaugurating AMU’s Century Gate, he said that names of men and women freedom fighters should be shortlisted and researched on, so that more and more people can know about them. After the advice of the PM, AMU had started preparations for this.

In the initial phase, AMU was preparing to conduct research on Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Maulana Shaukat Ali, Maulana Mohammad Ali, Hasrat Mohani, Saifuddin Kichlu, Ali Sardar Jaffrey, Captain Abbas Ali and Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. But Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh, Maulana Hasrat Mohani, Maulana Shaukat Ali and Maulana Mohammad Ali Johar will now form the first batch.

King Mahendra Pratap Singh's multi-faceted character

Dr Rahat Abrar, a retired senior PRO from AMU, says, “Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh fought the freedom struggle of India. He was a fighter as well as a writer, journalist and social reformer. He formed the elected Indian government in Afghanistan. He was involved in the Swadeshi movements. He became an MP after independence. He defeated Jana Sangh candidate Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Mathura. Raja Mahendra Pratap was educated at AMU. Not only this, but he also donated his land to Aligarh Muslim University. Where the city school is going today."

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Apart from this, Dr Rahat says that Maulana Mohammad Ali is also involved in research, who attended the Round Table Conference and said that "I will not go back to my country till independence is achieved." Hasrat Mohani, who gave the slogan of Purna Swaraj, has also been a student of AMU. He said that most of the big freedom fighters have links with Aligarh.