MiG-23 aircraft installed at AMU campus listed for sale on OLX; Proctor reveals truth

On August 3, an Indian Air Force’s (IAF) retired Kargil war aircraft MiG-23 (Mikoyan-Gurevich) stationed at Aligarh Muslim University was listed on OLX for sale at Rs 9.99 crore. The aircraft was gifted to AMU by the IAF in 2009. However, the AMU authorities called the advertisement on the sale-purchase portal as a “hoax”.  AMU proctor said that the ad was an attempt to defame the university, as per a news agency report.  

"The post on OLX about the sale of aircraft installed in the campus is wrong. The university has not taken any step to auction or sell it. We are looking into the matter. It’s an attempt to defame the university," ANI quoted varsity proctor Mohd Wasim Ali as saying.

Wasim said that a probe has been ordered to catch hold of those involved in the act. He, however, indicated that the students on campus most likely were not involved. Soon as the update circulated on the social media about the advertisement, the post was deleted from OLX. Decommissioned on March 6, 2009, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23BN aircraft was inducted in the Indian Airforce on January 24, 1981, according to reports. In 1999, the soviet fighter plane was deployed for airstrikes in Kargil war.  

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Image description read "Best Fighter Plane"

The picture listed on the OLX ad for the fighter plane was that of the AMU campus where the aircraft was installed.  Along with the price listing, the image had a three-word description, “best fighter plane.” According to ANI, the proctor said that while an investigation was ongoing to identify the culprits who wanted to malign the reputation of the institution, those held accountable will face legal charges for their actions.  

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