Central University of Kashmir gets Lt General Syed Ata Hasnain as Chancellor

NEW DELHI, JULY 13: Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain, the former military secretary has been appointed Chancellor of the Central University of Kashmir. The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind in his capacity of the Visitor of the Kashmir Central University has signed on the appointment letter of the Army Veteran.

Further, according to an official notification released by Prof M Afzal Zargar, the Registrar of Central University of Kashmir, Lt Gen Ata Hasnain will be serving Central University of Kashmir for next five years as the Chancellor.

The appointment order for the Chancellor in the Kashmir varsity has come soon after G Parthasarathy’s appointment as Chancellor of the Central University of Jammu.

While Parthasarthy has succeeded Jammu & Kashmir’s Governor, N N Vohra as the Kashmir Central University’ Chancellor, Hasnain is replacing the Founding Chancellor and renowned nuclear scientist Srikumar Bannerjee.

Further, both these appointments - G Parthasarathy and Lt General Hasnain are being considered as key strategic moves when both of these newly appointed Chancellors have extensive experience in dealing with Kashmir and Pakistan sponsored terrorism.

The appointments also seem to have a particular significance, especially in the light of the increasing alienation of the Kashmiri youth and record recruitment drives by terror groups over the last few months, with institutes and campuses also becoming preying grounds.

Besides, the timing of these appointments also coincide with the renewed chatter of holding Panchayat elections in the state, barely a month after BJP pulled out of the coalition government with PDP, thus pushing in Governor’s rule in the valley.

Other Central Universities Appointments

The President has also approved appointments of Chancellors to various other Central Universities.
While the former Indian Institute of Science Bangalore (IISc), Director, G Padmanabhan heads the Central University of Tamil Nadu, BJP MLC in Maharashtra Ashok Gajanan Modak will head Guru Ghasidas University.

Justice L Narasimha Reddy has been appointed Chancellor to Central University of Hyderabad and academician SV Seshagiri Rao is the new head of the Central University of Kerala.

BJP MLC P V Krishna Bhat will head Central University of Odisha and Prakash Bartunia is the newly appointed Chancellor of Bababsaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar University in Lucknow.

Harmohiner Singh Bedi will be heading the Central University of Himachal Pradesh and P L Chaturvedi will be Central University of Haryana’s Chancellor.