In the wake of the controversy over a portrait of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), the Aligarh administration on Friday imposed Section 144 in the two. District Magistrate of Aligarh has also ordered to suspend internet services in Aligarh from 2 pm to midnight on Friday.

“The internet services will remain suspended in Aligarh from 2:00 pm Friday to 12 midnight Saturday to avoid circulation of “communal” messages on social networking sites,” ADM (City) SB Singh was quoted as saying. The decision has been taken as a right-wing outfit is gearing up to bring in nearly 1,000 students to remove the picture of Jinnah.

The row sparked violence at the AMU campus on Thursday which resulted in at least six people being injured when the police lobbed teargas shells to disperse AMU students, who gathered at the varsity’s main gate– Baab-e-Sayyad—demanding a judicial probe against right-wing activists who entered AMU and clashed with the students.

The protesters were agitated over the portrait of the Pakistan founder which a local BJP MP wanted to be removed. The AMU students alleged that the protesters were from Hindu Yuva Vahini, and were allowed to leave a police station even after being initially detained.

AMU spokesman Shafey Kidwai had defended the presence of the portrait of Jinnah, which has apparently been hanging there for decades, saying that Jinnah was a founder member of the university court and was granted life membership of the student union.