All is not well with two major universities in the Northeast – one without a Vice Chancellor for almost six months and the other with an outgoing VC accused by the teachers of “gross misdeeds”.
Rajiv Gandhi University in Arunachal Pradesh edged out Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University for the second spot in the national rankings of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) released on August 10. That was the silver lining for a region where universities are beset with problems.
The teachers’ association of North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) has outlined a slew of academic, administrative and financial irregularities against Vice Chancellor S.K. Srivastava, whose tenure ends on September 23 after more than four years on the chair.
Established in 1973, NEHU is on the outskirts of Meghalaya capital Shillong.
The allegations include not placing NEHU’s annual budget, annual accounts and audit reports from the 2015-16 to the 2018-19 fiscal for discussion at the university court, and initiating the process of faculty and staff recruitment a few days ago “in gross violation of government rules that bars an outgoing VC from taking any decision with a long-term implication”.
Professor Srivastava has also been accused of ignoring senior, qualified teachers and appointing juniors in key university posts, besides declaring the NEHU Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) election for 2020-21 as unconstitutional, null and void despite “having no power to interfere in the functioning of an independent association.
Harassment
There are cases of harassing women teachers and removing them as heads of departments. Two of them – Professors S.M. Sungoh and Mala Renganathan – have registered complaints with the National Commission for Women against the VC.
The NEHUTA listed the “irregularities” in a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind a few months ago, alleging that Professor Srivastava’s “continuous and frequent absence” from NEHU affected the normal functioning of the university.
“With impunity, the incumbent VC flouted Act, Statute, rules and established conventions and traditions of the university,” the NEHUTA said.
Prof esor Srivastava, however, told The Hindu, “I have no comment except that all allegations are false. Levelling charges against VCs is quite common in our country, and I am at the fag-end of my career”.
Dismissal of VC
In February, the MHRD dismissed Adya Prasad Pandey as the VC of Manipur University for administrative and financial irregularities along with dereliction of duty. The university is yet to find a replacement.
In September 2019, Vijaykumar Laxmikantrao Dharurkar resigned as the VC of Tripura University after a sting operation showed him accepting bribes to favour a contract.
