PUDUKKOTTAI: A peace meeting was held at the district RDO office on Monday in connection with the allegations on 'fee' at Kalaignar Karunanidhi Government Arts College for Women in Pudukkottai. RDO K Karunakaran recommended that an inquiry be conducted with a guest lecturer and the Head of History Department at the college over alleged collection of unaccounted 'fee' from students.
According to college's shift 2 history department UG second year students, a sum of Rs 775 was collected from each of them in their first year for which no receipt was given. Head of the department Gayathridevi M has, however, alleged that her department guest lecturer Najimunisha Begum collected the money without her knowledge.
Najimunisha Begum had, on August 11, alleged that the HOD locked her 'burkha,' bag and other articles and refused to give the key. When TNIE contacted college principal B Buvenshwari, she denied such ill-treatment to the guest lecturer. On the 'fee' issue, she said an inquiry is under way by the Directorate of College Education.
On August 17, SFI conducted a protest, alleging irregularities in the college. The peace meeting was held on Monday in this backdrop. At the end of the meeting, Karunakaran said, "The details given by the HOD are incoherent and contradicting. At the same time, the guest lecturer has acted on her own and the college has to intervene. The principal should conduct awareness programmes for students and staff so that such issues do not repeat in the future."
When the HOD identified herself as belonging to Scheduled Caste and the lecturer identified herself as a Muslim, the RDO asked them to confine to the fee issue. All the parties concerned, except the HOD, signed the peace committee's decision.