WB Guv slaps VC with show-cause notice

Shubhadeep Choudhury

Tribune News Service

Kolkata, February 13

Stung by Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University’s step of leaving him out of the convocation function slated to be held tomorrow, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has slapped a show-cause notice on Vice-Chancellor Debkumar Mukhopadhyay threatening him of removal from the VC’s office.

Dhankhar has invoked the power vested in him as the Chancellor of the university to initiate the step against Mukhopadhyay.

The VC has been asked to respond to the charges against him within the next 14 days. Mukhopadhyay can also explain his conduct by appearing before the Governor personally at 4 pm on February 28.

The VC has been also asked to immediately send the entire record pertaining to the convocation function to the Governor. The notice sent to Mukherjee by Dhankhar today stated that the Chancellor of the University, who is also the President of the University Court, “has not received any notice or intimation for holding of this convocation till now”.

The notice added that the VC’s “aforesaid acts” (holding convocation function without intimating the Chancellor) have seriously “compromised the dignity and position of the Chancellor”.

Accusing the VC of “abuse and misuse of power”, incompetence and willful omission to carry out various provisions of the University Act, the notice said it was found expedient in the interest of the university to set in motion the process of removal of Mukhopadhyay from the post of the VC under sub-section 7 of Section 9 of the CPBU Act.

Besides sending the notice to the VC directly, the Governor also had a copy of the notice sent to Mukhopadhyay by the Higher Education Department. Manish Jain, principal secretary, was told to accord “priority” to the subject.

Dhankhar had yesterday tweeted about the incident. Vice-Chancellor Mukhopadhyay had responded saying that a letter was sent to the Raj Bhavan, but there was no answer from the Governor’s end.