Whistle blowers hounded at BU
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Coimbatore: Bharathiar University not only has a history of controversies in appointments but also a track record of harassing and silencing dissenters. Over the years, several teaching and non-teaching staff members have been systematically victimised by the administration for raising their voice against irregularities.
A junior engineer, attached to the Bharathiar University SC/ST Teachers and Staff Welfare Association, got his promotion order withdrawn since he was actively opposing irregularities in appointments.
“I was supposed to get promoted in 2011 as an assistant executive engineer. After several efforts, I was given a promotion in 2015. But vice-chancellor A Ganapathi revoked the promotion order in December last year. While I remained a junior engineer, my colleagues were elevated to the next position,” he said.
This is not a recent trend, said an assistant professor, who is also a member of the association. “In 2012, when Swaminathan extended the temporary faculty positions of the 11th plan period to 12th plan period till 2017, we questioned him and asked him to revert the decision. But he sent me a notice asking me to vacate my quarters within two days,” he said. “I got a stay order on that decision from the Madras HC. I have been staying in the quarters till now only because of the court order,” he added.
In 2016, when he filed a case against overall roster and quota violations, his wife’s PhD viva was delayed by almost a year, he said. “My wife’s PhD viva must have been held in January 2017. But I was asked to meet another professor, who said it would beheldonly if I withdrewthe case,” he said. The viva was held after he took up the issue with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, he said.
In another incident, a teaching faculty member was asked to vacate his room for questioning irregularities in appointments.
In November 2016, amid allegations of irregularities in teaching faculty recruitment, registrar P S Mohan was unceremoniously relieved from his post. He had then told TOI that he was kept in the dark about a communication from the higher education department asking the VC to stop the appointments. He had then said he refused to accept the relieving order, “because I had not erred to be sacked. Instead, I resigned stating I cannotcontinue as the registrarin-charge.”
In November last year, when there was a row over the allegeddiscrimination of assistant-professor aspirant N Srilakshmi Prabha, she alleged that Ganapathi had removed her husband, who was working on contract basis as a driver in theuniversity. “He was removed from the job by the university and he was insulted in the name of caste,” she had said.
Jailed VC seeks ‘A’ class amenities, hot water
The chief judicial magistrate (CJM) on Friday instructed the Coimbatore Central Prison authorities to provide hot water to suspended Bharathiar University vice-chancellor A Ganapathi, who complained of poor amenities. The court also directed prison authorities to lodge Ganapathi along with senior prisoners as requested by him and adjourned a petition seeking police custody of Ganapathi to February 12.
He was produced before CJM K R Madhurasekaran for the hearing of the petition filed by the DVAC seeking five days police custody. Before entering the court, Ganapathi told reporters he was a victim of media hype. “Media is blowing out of proportion news about me. I am also a human being. Show some compassion,’’ he said. TNN
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Coimbatore: Bharathiar University not only has a history of controversies in appointments but also a track record of harassing and silencing dissenters. Over the years, several teaching and non-teaching staff members have been systematically victimised by the administration for raising their voice against irregularities.
A junior engineer, attached to the Bharathiar University SC/ST Teachers and Staff Welfare Association, got his promotion order withdrawn since he was actively opposing irregularities in appointments.
“I was supposed to get promoted in 2011 as an assistant executive engineer. After several efforts, I was given a promotion in 2015. But vice-chancellor A Ganapathi revoked the promotion order in December last year. While I remained a junior engineer, my colleagues were elevated to the next position,” he said.
This is not a recent trend, said an assistant professor, who is also a member of the association. “In 2012, when Swaminathan extended the temporary faculty positions of the 11th plan period to 12th plan period till 2017, we questioned him and asked him to revert the decision. But he sent me a notice asking me to vacate my quarters within two days,” he said. “I got a stay order on that decision from the Madras HC. I have been staying in the quarters till now only because of the court order,” he added.
In 2016, when he filed a case against overall roster and quota violations, his wife’s PhD viva was delayed by almost a year, he said. “My wife’s PhD viva must have been held in January 2017. But I was asked to meet another professor, who said it would beheldonly if I withdrewthe case,” he said. The viva was held after he took up the issue with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, he said.
In another incident, a teaching faculty member was asked to vacate his room for questioning irregularities in appointments.
In November 2016, amid allegations of irregularities in teaching faculty recruitment, registrar P S Mohan was unceremoniously relieved from his post. He had then told TOI that he was kept in the dark about a communication from the higher education department asking the VC to stop the appointments. He had then said he refused to accept the relieving order, “because I had not erred to be sacked. Instead, I resigned stating I cannotcontinue as the registrarin-charge.”
In November last year, when there was a row over the allegeddiscrimination of assistant-professor aspirant N Srilakshmi Prabha, she alleged that Ganapathi had removed her husband, who was working on contract basis as a driver in theuniversity. “He was removed from the job by the university and he was insulted in the name of caste,” she had said.
Jailed VC seeks ‘A’ class amenities, hot water
The chief judicial magistrate (CJM) on Friday instructed the Coimbatore Central Prison authorities to provide hot water to suspended Bharathiar University vice-chancellor A Ganapathi, who complained of poor amenities. The court also directed prison authorities to lodge Ganapathi along with senior prisoners as requested by him and adjourned a petition seeking police custody of Ganapathi to February 12.
He was produced before CJM K R Madhurasekaran for the hearing of the petition filed by the DVAC seeking five days police custody. Before entering the court, Ganapathi told reporters he was a victim of media hype. “Media is blowing out of proportion news about me. I am also a human being. Show some compassion,’’ he said. TNN
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