13 Lucknow university students served notices for offering namaz at Lal Baradari
Lucknow: Authorities have issued notices to 13 students of Lucknow University in Uttar Pradesh for offering namaz at Lal Baradari, a Mughal-era structure on campus. The students have been directed to furnish a personal bond of Rs 50,000 along with two sureties of Rs 50,000 each.
According to Kashmir Media Service, citing a challan report from Hasanganj police station, the administration said the prayers created tension on campus and that future disturbance to public peace could not be ruled out. The Executive Magistrate has ordered the students to submit the personal bonds as a guarantee of maintaining peace and law and order for one year.
The notices come amid student protests after the university fenced off Lal Baradari, citing safety concerns. Student groups said the move effectively restricted access for Muslim students who offer prayers inside the structure during Ramzan. Protests began on Sunday after Zuhr prayers as fencing work commenced amid heavy police deployment.
Members of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and the Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha gathered at the site, calling the action unauthorized and demanding restoration of access.
NSUI leader Ahmad Raza said students have been offering namaz at the centuries-old structure for years and maintained that the portion used for prayers remains intact despite some damage elsewhere. He urged the administration to reopen the hall, invite the Archaeological Survey of India to inspect the building, and make its findings public.
Another student leader, Mahendra Yadav, said that the fencing and closure of the structure curtailed religious access. “The way the administration has locked the premises, preventing Muslim students from offering prayers, shows how easily the constitutional rights of Muslims can be curtailed,” he said.
Videos circulating online showed students offering prayers outside the building while others formed a human chain around the structure. Raza described it as a gesture of communal harmony, noting that students also broke their fast outside the building.
Students continue to demand clarity and an explanation from the university administration.
The fencing of Lal Baradari followed shortly after a campus visit by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, a visit that had also sparked student protests.
