Police complaint over renaming of college

Syed Ali Ahmed

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 20

A criminal complaint has been filed with the police against Dyal Singh College’s governing body chairman and evening college principal, seeking action against them for “illegally trying to rename” Dyal Singh Evening College as Vande Mataram Mahavidyalaya.

Edit: Renaming legacy

Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSG-MC) general secretary and MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa, in his complaint, has alleged that chairman Amitabh Sinha and principal Pawan Kumar Sharma had taken the decision “clandestinely”, which was illegal.

The college was transferred to the University of Delhi on June 22, 1978. The transfer deed mentioned: “It has further been decided that the college after its takeover by the university will continue to be known as Dyal Singh College.”

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The complaint said it was a breach of trust as per the resolution signed by the Dyal Singh College Trust Society and University of Delhi, which reads: “Whereas the University of Delhi has agreed to run Dyal Singh College at Lodhi Road as a university-maintained institution, it is resolved that the entire land measuring 10.568 acres on which Dyal Singh College is built and belongs to Dyal Singh College Trust Society be transferred to the University of Delhi in Trust without any monetary consideration.”

“The existing governing body of Dyal Singh College has intentionally violated the resolution and transfer deed and made criminal conspiracy under IPC sections 120-B, 420, 425 and 423 and they should be prosecuted for criminal acts,” the complaint said.

Meanwhile, the protesting students, including those of the NSUI, and teachers said they were not against opening of a new college. The college governing body should have developed infrastructure before taking the decision.

Sujit Thakur, who teaches in the college, said: “Opening a new college is not objectionable. The objection is against opening a new college on the campus of Dyal Singh College and sharing its infrastructure.” Holding Dyal Singh College (morning) principal IS Bakshi responsible for the controversy, the teacher said he was aware of the move to open a new college on the Dyal Singh College campus. But he kept the teachers and students in the dark, he alleged.

Countering the allegation, the principal said: “I have written to the University of Delhi raising objection against this decision. I also said Dyal Singh College is the legacy of its founder Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia. The new college should not be opened on this campus. I have disclosed all this to the teachers in the meeting.”