Sociology faculty boycotts PhD student’s viva

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 20

The faculty of the Sociology Department revolted against Vice-Chancellor Prof Arun Kumar Grover and boycotted PhD viva of a student, here on Friday. The PhD viva was conducted in the absence of the supervisor.

Earlier, the viva of Atinder Pal Kaur was to take place on July 27. External examiner Prof BB Mohanty had also confirmed the date.

“But, the Vice-Chancellor wanted to have the viva-voce according to his term. As per the VC’s order, I was present as the chairman of the Sociology Department and Prof Pam Rajput as supervisor,” said Prof Shankarji Jha, Dean of University Instructions (DUI).

The VC’s term is ending on July 22.

Prof Kumool Abbi, chairperson of the Sociology Department, was the supervisor of Atinder Pal Kaur.

In a letter to the VC, the faculty wrote that they were shocked to see an email, dated July 19, received by the chairperson, Department of Sociology, that PhD viva will be conducted on July 20.

The department then conducted an emergency meeting on July 19 and resolved not to participate in PhD viva.

“The faculty is of the unanimous opinion that such an act on the part of the authorities concerned, specially the Vice-Chancellor, of overriding the decision of the faculty regarding the viva, violates the autonomy of the department and the procedure followed for years, and that the decision regarding holding the viva is a prerogative of the department,” said the letter, signed by chairperson Prof Kumool Abbi, Prof Sherry Sabbarwal, Prof Rajesh Gill, Prof Kiran Preet Kaur, Prof Rani Mehta, Dr Moniva Sarkar and Vinod Kumar.

“Under the circumstances, it is unanimously resolved that the faculty of the department registers its strong protest against the VC and has resolved that the faculty will not participate in the viva-voce of the candidate scheduled by the VC by contacting the external examiner and bypassing the scheduled viva,” they said.

Prof Grover reacts 

• “The DUI will file a report to the Syndicate in due course. Whatever has been done is in the interest of the student and the university. The open seminar was attended by students. They were also present during the intense scrutiny of the candidate by the external examiner. This has been delayed for long, I wanted to get it over before the end of my term,” said the VC. 
• Videography of the viva was also conducted. Atinder Pal Kaur has done PhD on ‘Impact of international migration on women left behind: A sociological study of the Kamboj in Punjab’.  Sources said it was a controversial case and had undergone the scrutiny of Chief Vigilance Officer too.