COIMBATORE: Registrar (in charge) of Periyar University K Thangavel, who faces charges of financial irregularities, retired from service on Thursday as vice-chancellor R Jagannathan did not suspend him despite directions from the higher education department.
Even as a section of university staff staged a protest, Thangavel was given a farewell by the faculty of the department of computer science. Earlier in the day, the VC handed the relieving order to Thangavel.
Periyar University Teacher Association (PUTA) has urged higher education secretary A Karthik to suspend the vice-chancellor for failing to abide by its instructions. PUTA president V Vaithianathan told TNIE, “Thangavel faces eight complaints, such as removing local audit fund objection illegally, scam in procuring computer items, violations at skill courses, etc . "
"An inquiry committee appointed by the higher education department found seven complaints to be true. On February 7 and 27, higher education secretary A Karthik wrote to the V-C directing him to suspend Thangavel. But he protected Thangavel and allowed him to retire.”
“Members of the Periyar University Employees Union (PUEU) have been staging protests on the campus for the last two days. But the university issued a memo to the protesters, which is an indirect threat,” he added.
Association of University Teacher (AUT) president MS Balamurugan in a statement urged the state government to immediately remove the VC from office, saying “his challenge to the state should never be tolerated anymore.”
AUT former president K Pandian said the V-C is challenging the authority of an elected government and urged the chief minister to intervene.
Jagannathan refused to comment on the issue. Repeated attempts to reach higher education secretary A Karthik went in vain.