Lucknow: The row over Muhammad Ali Jinnah's portrait at Aligarh Muslim University claimed a fresh victim on Friday: a picture of AMU founder Sir Syed Ahmad Khan was removed from a PWD guesthouse in nearby Khair.

A source in Khair, 26km from Aligarh town, said Khan's portrait was removed shortly before local BJP politicians were to meet there.

Local MP Satish Gautam of the BJP, a campaigner for the removal of Jinnah's portrait from AMU, said: "I have nothing to do with the removal of the AMU founder's portrait. I don't want to comment on it."

A PWD source suggested that a guesthouse official had removed Khan's portrait fearing another controversy. "He was probably unaware of Khan's importance and how he is different from Jinnah. It will be reinstalled soon," he said.

Khan (1817-98) was a thinker and reformer who established the Muhammadan Anglo Oriental College, which later became AMU, after realising that Indian Muslims were falling behind in the race for modern education.