New Delhi, Oct 12: The acting vice-chancellor and registrar of the Manipur University have been suspended by the state High Court on Thursday for failing to bring normalcy in the institute, which has been on the boil since May 30.
K Yugindro Singh was the acting vice-chancellor and Shyamkesho was the acting registrar.
Former state chief secretary Jarnail Singh has been appointed as the administrator who will discharge the duties of the vice-chancellor as per the provisions of the Manipur University Act 2005.
Varsity on the boil for several months
The university has been on the boil since May. It re-opened on August 23 after 85-day strike by the students who had been demanding removal of the then VC AP Pandey alleging administrative and financial irregularities against him.
However, the situation soon again got volatile after the varsity management banned the students’ unions, MUTA and MUSA.
No classes have been held in the university since May 30. Yugindro Singh was appointed as the acting VC by the then VC A P Pandey.
Pandey was suspended by President Ram Nath Kovind, who is the visitor to the central university, last month as an inquiry was underway into the allegations of irregularities against him.
Compelled to intervene in the matter: HC
The suspension of the VC and the registrar came after the high court, in its earlier hearing on October 5, urged all the respondents to suggest ways to resolve the crisis in the university in the interest of the students.
Since none of the respondents made any suggestions, the court said it was “compelled to intervene in the matter”, according to a media report.
The court also felt that the threat of counter-agitation loomed large if a solution to the problem was not found soon.
The court made it clear that it was primarily concerned with bringing normalcy to the university and not the issue of who was responsible for bringing the university to the present “disturbed state” of condition.
The court empowered Jarnail Singh to choose the acting registrar and appoint others to assist him. He is also authorised to pass or revoke any orders to bring normalcy in the university and defuse the volatile situation.
Singh’s Controversial comment
The acting vice chancellor of the Manipur University had also recently embroiled into a controversy for making a remark in a letter to the Centre that agitating students are like “terrorists” and that his life is at risk.
Following his remarks, angry students had also tried to storm his official residence of Singh in protest. However, their attempt was foiled by the police.
Demanding Y-category security for himself, Singh in a letter dated October 3 to the Ministry of Human Resource Development had said, “I would like to request the Centre to do the needful immediately in order to save the University from the hands of terrorists like agitators.”
The professor had also said that the agitating students want to run the university at their fancy at the behest of a parallel authority, as per a media report.
