PUTA chief levels allegation against Prof Pam Rajput

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 2

The Vice-President Office has sought comments from Panjab University (PU) on the complaint of misappropriation of books against fellow Prof Emeritus Pam Rajput. Panjab University Teachers Association (PUTA) president Prof Rajesh Gill, who is also a fellow, has made the complaint, which will now be examined in the upcoming meeting of the Syndicate on December 10.

According to Professor Gill, as per the information obtained through the RTI Act, 2005, there are a large number of books, periodicals, journals, magazines, numbering around 54, pending in Prof Rajput’s name since 1988, when she was the Director, Centre for Women’s Studies.

Professor Gill claimed that these were still lying pending till date in the departmental library.

“It is learnt that apparently, the PU authorities, in order to help her out, are trying to write-off these books at the value originally specified in the stock register, about 29 years ago, whereas there is a settled procedure and formula operational in the PU library to ascertain the value of the missing books in such cases (as this is not a case of missing books, but a case of non-return of books),” she alleged, in her letter dated October 23, to the Vice-President and PU Chancellor M Venkaiah Naidu.

Prof Gill also complained that Prof Rajput had been nominated as a member of a committee, in a special Syndicate meeting dated October 7, formed by Vice-Chancellor Arun Kumar Grover, to examine the issue arising out of a complaint made by her on the basis of the CIC order dated September 4. She had complained that the letter dated January 20, 2016, from the VP office regarding a sexual harassment case was fraudulently obtained.

“It is tragic that a person who herself has misappropriated so many books, periodicals, journals, some of which are out of publication and quite expensive as on today, has been entrusted with running a new course on ‘Governance Studies’ with effect from this session at the PU,” said Prof Gill, in her complaint.

According to documents attached in the agenda item, books, periodicals and journals are worth only over Rs 5,000.

Why I am being singled out, asks Prof Rajput

Prof Rajput said: “I am distressed that the person who started the Centre for Women Studies in 1987 from a cycle shed and took the department to such repute has to face such allegations. As the Director of Centre for Women Studies, I did not take any money. Even for lectures at the PU, I do not take any money. Nothing is pending in my name.”

She added, “I have funded two scholarships — one in political science and other in women studies. I have written for donating Rs 1 lakh for buying books.”

“I haven’t written for writing-off the books. But why I am being singled out? There is some deeper motive behind Prof Gill’s complaint. As a PUTA president, she should have gathered information from all PU departments about the pending books and then should have come out with a white paper. She was the director of Centre of Women Studies for three years but did not raise the issue of pending books. Some people are addicted to filing RTIs,” said Prof Rajput.

Woman prof complains to Vice-President 

A woman professor, who had levelled allegations of sexual harassment against the PU VC, has written to the Chancellor for inquiry into the release of letter dated January 20, 2016, from the office of Vice-President and action against alleged erring officers. This letter dated January 20, 2016, settled that the Senate, which is a governing body of the PU, was supreme and employer too in regard of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013, and could form any committee to probe allegations against the VC.

She claimed that the special Syndicate meeting dated October 7 this year, to discuss her complaint against the release of said letter dated January 20, 2016, from the VP office, was called to malign her and get a clean chit for Registrar Col GS Chadha (retd), whom she claimed as a close aide of the VC. She had even written an email to the Chancellor on October 6 to restrain the VC from convening the meeting. She alleged that she was condemned for making the complaint which was resolved to be unfounded and mischievous.

She alleged that the new Panjab University Committee Against Sexual Harassment (PUCASH) was constituted at the behest of Prof Grover by Prof Rajput, a close aide, who singlehandedly gave the names of all members in her handwriting to the Syndicate.

She also objected to the inclusion of Rekha Sharma, member of the National Commission of Women (NCW) in PUCASH. She said it was Rekha Sharma who had handled her case at the NCW and was close to the Registrar as well as Prof Rajput. She has sought personal hearing from the Chancellor.

VP office seeks comments from PU

The Vice-President office has sought comments from the PU on the complaint of misappropriation of books against fellow Prof Emeritus Pam Rajput. Panjab University Teachers Association president Prof Rajesh Gill, who is also a fellow, has made the complaint, which will now be examined in the upcoming meeting of the Syndicate on December 10.