Faiz poem row: Politics being done to make everything communal, says Munawwar Rana

After Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur constituted a panel to decide whether legendary poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz's poem 'Hum Dekhenge' is offensive to Hindu sentiments, celebrated Urdu poet Munawwar Rana has suggested the premier engineering institute to not intervene in poetry and said that politics is happening to make everything "communal".

"We cannot allow IIT to take a decision on poetry because IIT can produce one lakh scientists, but those one lakh scientists put together cannot write an epic like 'Ramayana'," Rana told ANI.

It would be better if IIT understands to not intervene in this, he said.

Talking about the panel, Rana said, "They don't understand poetry and the people who will make a decision on this don't know poetry as well."

Asked whether he sees any politics in the issue, Rana said, "They are only doing politics, they have vowed to make everything communal."

The statements by Rana come after a few faculty members complained that the students who took out a peaceful march on the campus on December 17 against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and in solidarity with Jamia Millia Islamia students sung it as a mark of protest.

The complaint was made to the Director Abhay Karandikar after which the panel was constituted to dwell into the matter. IIT Kanpur will reportedly take strict action on the basis of findings and suggestion of the panel.

The CAA grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and came to India on or before December 31, 2014.