Varsity staff postpone dharna, may meet Governor, CM

Members of the teaching and non-teaching employees’ associations of Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology (DCRUST) continued their strike for the second consecutive day on Thursday. However, they have decided to postpone their dharna for a week and plan to meet the Governor and Chief Minister of Haryana to press for their demands.

Meanwhile, Vice-Chancellor Prakash Singh refuted all allegations levelled by the protesting employees and asserted that the university is consistently working for the welfare of students. The protest was jointly organised by members of the Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University Teachers’ Association (DCRUTA) and the Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University Employees Union (DCRUEU). They gathered outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office and staged a demonstration against the university administration.

The agitating employees, led by Dr Ajay Kumar, president of DCRUTA and Anand Kumar, president of DCRUEU, alleged that both students and staff were suffering due to the autocratic attitude of the university authorities. Dr Ajay Kumar said the decision to postpone the dharna for a week was taken unanimously. He added that they would also seek a meeting with the Governor and the Chief Minister to present the “true picture” of the university administration and demand a high-level inquiry into the issues raised.

Responding to the allegations, Vice-Chancellor Prakash Singh said the university has recently subscribed to anti-plagiarism software through its library for a full year, from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026. He also said that the procurement process for new library books is currently underway, with Rs 84 lakh allocated to various teaching departments for book purchases. All heads of departments have already been informed about the allocation.

On the issue of damaged roads within the campus, Prakash Singh said the university has already transferred Rs 1.54 crore to the Public Works Department (PWD) B&R division. The department had invited a tender worth Rs 2.6 crore in January for road repair work, which is expected to begin within the next 10 to 12 days.