Allahabad University VC quits
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 3
President Ram Nath Kovind today accepted the resignation of Rattan Lal Hangloo, Vice Chancellor of the University of Allahabad, and ordered a probe into allegations of financial and administrative irregularities and impropriety against him.
Hangloo was appointed VC of Allahabad University by the BJP-led NDA government in October 2015 and had been in the eye of a storm since the eruption of violence on the varsity campus in 2016.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development had on two occasions in the past sent requests to the President for an inquiry into complaints against Hangloo.
The President being the Visitor of Central Universities alone can appoint or remove a VC or order a probe against him. Both ministerial attempts in 2018 and again in January 2019 for an inquiry against Hangloo were turned down by Rashtrapati Bhavan for want of evidence.
An alleged video chat of the outgoing VC surfaced recently in public domain and involved a woman who, it was alleged by some, received favours from Hangloo. Subsequent to growing tensions, the VC tendered his resignation on December 31, 2019.
