GUWAHATI: It has been 26 days since Manipur University has remained shut much to the loss of the students community because of the on-going agitation of Manipur University Students’ Union (MUSU) that demands immediate ouster of the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adya Prasad Pandey, accusing the latter of indifferent attitude towards his responsibilities especially because of his long absence from the office as he goes outside the state every month that hampers the functioning of the varsity.
The Manipur University Teachers’ Association (MUTA) today resorted to sit-in demonstration at the gate of the university along with the MUSU and Manipur University Students’ Association (MUSA) to press for the demand for ouster of the VC.
Already the Deans of five Schools in the University – School of Humanities, Life Science, Human & Environmental Science, Social Science and Mathematical & Physical Science – have resigned protesting the stalemate prevailing in the varsity.
The movement of the students demanding the ousting of VC has hindered the functioning of the university. Not only the university but students of colleges affiliated to the university are facing a lot of inconveniences as admission and result declaration process are all being kept on a hold.
The Deans said that they tried to speak with both the parties regarding the issues but the efforts went in vain.
The students of the university have been on agitation since May 30 demanding the removal of the VC thereby creating a stalemate in the central varsity. From the start of the agitation the administrative block has remained shut. All semester examination for different departments which were supposed to start from the second week of this month have been all postponed indefinitely.
Though the Centre has sent a joint secretary level officer to hold discussion with the agitating students union recently, the talks failed to cut ice and the impasse continues in the institution.
Meanwhile, the Vice Chancellor of Manipur University, Professor Adya Prasad Pandey has stated before the media that the allegations made against him by Manipur University Students Union(MUSU) that has created the current impasse at the university, are ‘false and baseless’ and that he will not resign from his post.
“False allegations/propaganda are being used by the MUSU to garner momentum in the agitation ever since he assumed the charge as the VC of the university”, he said.
“There has been a series of crisis in academic and administrative matters which have caused extreme hardships to the students, teaching staff and non-teaching staff of the varsity and pointed out that it is he who has brought the university to order from an anarchic reservation issue which made the university almost defunct for a number of months last year,” he said.
On the charges leveled against him of not staying at the university for 10 days a month unlike other previous VCs, he said that his visit outside the state were for official purpose and related to university works.
He also denied the allegation on irregularity in the installation of smart classes. He mentioned that the smart classes here proposed as per the decisions made in the meeting of higher authority for digitization. The job of installation of smart classes was given to ITI Limited (a government of India undertaking) after they won the tender which the university had floated.
Meanwhile, Manipur University Teachers’ Association (MUTA) on Monday resolved to request the VC to resign in the greater ‘academic interests’ of the university. The MUTA has also called for constitution of a high level inquiry commission to look into the allegations leveled against the VC as well as the clarification made by him.