Send Manipur University VC on leave, writes state govt to MHRD

NEW DELHI, JULY 13: The Manipur Government has sent a letter to the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) demanding Manipur University (MU) to be sent on leave and high-level inquiry be instituted into the allegations against him.

To end the deadlock at the MU, the state government has demanded for appointment of a Pro VC till situation normalises at the varsity.

The Manipur University Students’ Union (MUSU) has been sitting on strike for nearly two months at the varsity campus demanding the ouster of incumbent VC, Prof Adya Prasad Pandey. The agitating students are alleging that the VC has been misusing his administrative powers, varsity funds and for most of the time is out of the University.

In the first week of July, as many as heads of seven departments of the varsity have resigned from their posts supporting students demand for removal of Pandey. The teachers and students are claiming 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.

While the VC has termed all the allegations levels against him as baseless and called the agitation motivated and has refused to step down from his post.

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).