High drama at Rohtak varsity on Vice-Chancellor’s last day

Speculation over the state authorities’ next move following the face-off between the Haryana Government and Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) Vice-Chancellor Prof Rajbir Singh ended on Friday when Governor and Chancellor Ashim Kumar Ghosh assigned the additional charge of the university to Somnath Sachdeva, Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra University, with effect from February 21 until a regular appointment is made.

Friday, the last day of Prof Rajbir Singh’s second consecutive three-year term, witnessed high drama on the campus. A group of students led by INSO leader Pradeep Deswal staged a protest outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office even as a farewell gathering for the outgoing VC was underway inside.

Tension escalated when Deswal attempted to approach the VC office but was stopped by security personnel. A heated exchange followed between him and the security staff. As the situation intensified, Dean Academic Affairs Prof Suresh Chander Malik reached the spot to pacify the protesters. Deswal, who was raising slogans against the outgoing VC, also had arguments with the Dean.

A large contingent of security personnel was deployed to prevent any untoward incident. The situation eased after Deswal and his supporters dispersed.

Later, Deswal told ‘The Tribune’ that they had come to submit a memorandum to the university security office after receiving information about the alleged shifting of air conditioners and other items within the campus.

“We received reports that certain items, including air conditioners, were being moved clandestinely. We fear that university property could be taken out of the campus. Therefore, we have demanded that security personnel conduct strict checking of vehicles at all gates to prevent any such illegal practice,” he claimed.

Deswal also referred to his earlier dispute with the university over his PhD degree. “I secured my PhD degree after a long legal battle in the high court. I wanted to hand over my degree to the VC as a mark of protest, but the security personnel did not allow me to meet him,” he alleged.

He added that the protesters also sought a response from the outgoing VC regarding the alleged suicide of a university gardener, Sachin Sharma, a few years ago.

Notably, Deswal has repeatedly questioned the validity of Prof Rajbir Singh’s academic credentials in recent years.

Meanwhile, sources said a “Gratitude and Felicitation” ceremony to mark the completion of the VC’s tenure was initially planned at the Faculty Development Centre but was later shifted to the committee room adjacent to the VC office following reports of the proposed protest.

However, an MDU official maintained that a large number of teachers and non-teaching employees attended two separate programmes to express gratitude for the outgoing VC’s contributions.

In contrasting scenes on the campus, a group of teachers believed to belong to the anti-VC camp distributed sweets at Gate No. 2, expressing happiness over additional charge given to other than Prof Rajbir Singh.