SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, July 16: The Raj Bhawan’s stay on the Vice-Chancellor (VC) order on the transfer of SSLNT Women’s College Dhanbad principal has triggered a row in universities across the state.
Binod Bihari Mahto Koylanchal University (BBMKU) Dhanbad Vice-Chancellor Dr Sukhdeo Bhoi had on July 6 transferred SSLNT Women’s College principal Dr Sharmila Rani to BSK College Maithon and in her place appointed Dr AK Maji as principal-in-charge.
But Dr Sharmila Rani refused to give charge to Dr Maji and sent a representation to the Raj Bhawan against the VC order.
Rattled by the defiant posture of the principal, the university seized her financial power and slapped her a notice.
High voltage drama appeared on Friday (July 14) in SSLNT College. Designated principal Dr Maji took charge during the day but in the late evening rhe Raj Bhawan office stayed the transfer of Dr Sharmila Rani.
Sources in the higher education department said that this is not the first time that the current regime of the Raj Bhawan office has disowned the order of a VC. Interference of the Raj Bhawan office also made the principal chair of Chatra College a musical chair.
When Dr Mukul Narayan Dev was VC of Vinoba Bhave University (VBU) Hazaribagh, it is said on the alleged directive of the Raj Bhawan office he removed senior most professor Dr Ramanuj Pandey from the post of principal-in-charge of Chatra College and installed an assistant professor Dr RP Roy.
But Dr Mukul Narayan Dev completed his tenure and Dr Ajit Kumar Sinha, VC of Ranchi University took additional charge of VBU VC. He took serious note of the violation of seniority at Chatra College and once again made Dr Pandey the principal-in-charge. However, 15 days ago Dr Roy was again made principal-in-charge allegedly under pressure from the Raj Bhawan office.
Present and retired senior professors of the Jharkhand universities said such a thing never happened even in the Bihar regime.
In 2013-14, a similar situation appeared at SSLNT Women’s College. The then VC of VBU Dr Gurmeet Singh had transferred the principal Dr Kiran Singh to Chas College. She was considered a powerful principal but the Raj Bhawan did not interfere. Prof Kiran Singh went on medical leave and returned one and a half months later with a joining letter at RS More College.
A senior most professor of BBMKU, requesting anonymity, said that the Raj Bhawan has the power to remove even the VC of the university but the Governor has never been seen staying the order of the VC. Some officers are creating a mess in the name of the Chancellor, he alleged.
In 1989 Governor Govind Narayan Singh had removed the VCs of all the universities in Bihar and assigned the concerned commissioner the responsibility but the Raj Bhawan never interfered in the functioning of the VC.
A retired senior professor said that Dr Sharmila Rani is the lone commission-appointed regular principal. So she should have been transferred to Dhanbad-based college rather than 45 km away to Maithon, he added.
