President suspends Manipur University VC until enquiry completion

NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 19: Amidst ongoing tension and volatile situation in the Manipur University, the President of India has suspended the incumbent Vice-Chancellor till completion of the enquiry against him. The central university has been in the state of turmoil for over three months due to long drawn agitation by the students and teachers against Prof Adya Prasad Pandey.

The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) on June 17 constituted an enquiry committee headed by the retired Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court to look into the allegations levelled against Prof Pandey.

Earlier, the students of the University sat on a protest in the month of June demanding VC’s removal and brought the day to day functioning of the varsity to halt. Later, teachers also joined their protest and as many as seven Head of Departments (HoDs) resigned from their post. The Manipur University student and teaching community have been alleging that Prof Pandey has committed serious administrative and financial irregularities by misusing his powers.

The students have been protesting alleging that the VC hardly stays at the university and because of which the university is suffering. They have been alleging that the MU has been longing for a VC who knows what a university is, conversant with contemporary dynamics of knowledge-based competition, and above all committed to its upliftment.

The situation at the university further deteriorated thus posing serious law and order situation. Following which, the state government also wrote to the MHRD demanding MU VC to be sent on leave and high-level inquiry be instituted into the allegations against him.

The MHRD suspension order reads, “the agitation in the university temporarily ended on August 22 after a period of 85 days and started functioning from August 23 with Prof Pandey going on leave.”

However, as soon as Pandey joined back the university, the atmosphere in the university further deteriorated.

Thus President of India in his capacity as the visitor to the university taking into account volatile law and order situation in the university campus has decided to place “Prof Adya Prasad Pandey, VC under suspension with immediate effect” and till completion of the enquiry and action to be taken thereon.

Prof Pandey was appointed to the post of MU VC in October 2016, prior to that he serving as professor of economics at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU).