PUDUCHERRY: In what appears to be the tightening of the noose on Pondicherry University Vice-Chancellor Chandra Krishnamurthy, the two-member committee, constituted by MHRD to look into the allegations raised against the VC and registrar Raajiv Yaduvanshi, commenced the probe on Saturday.
The panel, comprising Dr Mayilvahanan Natarajan, former VC of Dr MGR Medical University, TN and V Balachandran, former DGP, TN, reached here in the morning and was closeted with the VC and the registrar.
Talking to the media later, Balachandran said the panel conducted preliminary enquiries into the allegations against the VC and registrar in separate sessions with Chandra Krishnamurthy and Yaduvanshi. The committee would carry out an expeditious and detailed probe into the charges and submit the report to the MHRD as early as possible.
Asked about the deadline, he said the would be submited within 30 days, but refused to divulge the terms of reference saying the probe was a confidential one. On whether charges raised by the associations of faculty members, officers, SC/ST students, the former DGP said they would be dealt with on merit.
Members of various staff and students associations swarmed the administrative block of the University but their representations were received by the panel only after the premilinary inquiry with the VC and the registrar was over.
The MHRD orders regarding the constitution of the panel was issued by D R K Rao, Deputy Secretary, MHRD on August 12.
According to sources, the committee would look into the appointment of Prof Hariharan as member of planning board in violation of the statute and Act of the Pondicherry University. His appointment as UGC Net examination coordinator and elevation to the planning board by the VC had kicked up controversies.
It may be recalled that the university was yet to give its nod to prosecute Hariharan, booked by the CBI on charges of giving affiliation to an engineering college, violating all norms. Police also registered a case against him on charges of assaulting and wrongfully confining an innocent student, Radhakrishnan of the Tamil Department, forcing him to admit that he entered girls’ hostel at odd hours. The is expected to be on the agenda of the panel. The student had been exonerated by a Disciplinary Panel of the varcity.
Further, it is said to take up the appointment of Dr V Indumathi as registrar in-charge and director of studies, educational innovations and rural reconstruction by the VC.
The panel would also inquire into the allegations of ragging by a girl student, who was punished despite being the victim in the incident. The agenda for the panel also include the victimisation of faculty members and other staff by way of transfers, the sources said.
The sources said the charges against the registrar Raajiv Yaduvanshi such as his absence from University for long periods and accumulation of emergency files as a result, would also be probed by the panel.
JAC Welcomes Move
The Joint Action Committee (JAC), consisting of Pondicherry University Facutly Association, Officers Association, Non-teaching Staff Association, Group C and D Staff Welfare Association have welcomed the MHRD-appointed panel and submitted a memorandum. The JAC also sought time for an audience with the panel.
Pondicherry University SC/ST Employees Welfare Association president Dr A Praveen appealed to the panel to ensure that women employees are protected from gender discrimination.Two girl students, Kavya M and Vidya T Appukuttan submitted a memorandum, inviting attention to their suspension following a sexual harassment complaint by them and to the extreme insensitivity shown by university. The SFI functionaries A Anand and Ranjit were also present.