Gehlot asks Adityanath to intervene in row over Muslim prof

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday urged his Uttar Pradesh counterpart to intervene in the row over the appointment of a Muslim professor at Banaras Hindu University's Sanskrit department.

A group of BHU students are protesting against the appointment of Feroze Khan, who is from Rajasthan, saying a Muslim cannot teach Sanskrit. The university has backed Khan, urging students to let classes resume.

"I am in touch with the chief minister and the deputy chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. The issue created over Dr. Feroze Khan teaching Sanskrit at BHU should be resolved soon, Gehlot tweeted in Hindi.

The chief minister and the deputy chief minister of Uttar Pradesh should intervene in this matter," he said.

He said if someone from the Muslim community became a Sanskrit scholar, the BJP and RSS should have welcomed it. It should have been be a matter of pride for Hindu society.

Banaras has been considered the flag bearer of Ganga-Jamuni culture, he said.

He added that Hindus too have become well-known shayars.

Gehlot approved of people taking an interest in each other's religion.

Feroze Khan hails from a village near Jaipur. His father Ramzan Khan sings bhajans at temples and serves at a cow shelter.