HRD Ministry reconstitutes fact-finding committee to inquire into allegations against Manipur varsity VC

The HRD Ministry has reconstituted a fact-finding committee to inquire into the allegations of administrative negligence and misutilisation of funds by Manipur University vice chancellor Aditya Prasad Pandey, an official order from the ministry said today.

The Centre, on July 12, formed a fact-finding committee, comprising a representative of the UGC and the Ministry of Human Resource Development, to probe the allegations against Pandey, but the agitators refused to cooperate with the panel and called the move a "ploy to undermine their democratic movement".

Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh welcomed the reconstitution of the committee and appealed to the students and the teachers to call off the agitation.

"I would like to thank the ministry for constituting the fact-finding committee to probe the allegations. We hope that it will do justice and get to the bottom of the issue," he told reporters.

Singh requested the Manipur University Students' Union (MUSU), Manipur University Teachers' Association (MUTA) and the concerned civil societies to cooperate with the government in investigations and let the university function in the "larger interest of students".

"Now the demands made by the student and teachers' community of the Manipur University has been fulfilled. The chief justice is heading the committee. I would like to appeal again to call off the agitation," he said.

The committee is headed by T Nandakumar Singh, former acting Chief Justice of the High Court of Meghalaya and comprises J K Tripathi, joint secretary, University Grants Commission and Surat Singh, Deputy Secretary, Department of Higher Education, HRD Ministry as members.

The fact-finding committee shall submit its report within a month, the order said.

The academic activities at the university have been under suspension for the past 47 days as teachers, students and staff associations are agitating here for Pandey's removal.

Yesterday, a 30-member BJP delegation, led by Singh, had urged the Union HRD Ministry to review the composition of the fact-finding committee.

The delegation, during the meeting in Delhi, stressed the need for appointing a retired judge of a high court to head the probe committee, a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) had said.