Manipur varsity row: VC Pandey orders ban on protesting bodies

Days after the agitation at Manipur University was suspended following the intervention of the HRD ministry and the state government, Vice Chancellor AP Pandey, who is at the centre of the row, has issued a statement, banning two protesting bodies at the institute.

The vice chancellor, who was sent on leave on August 2, said in the statement Saturday that he has assumed charge and the HRD ministry, Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla and Chief Secretary J Suresh Babu have been intimated about the development.

"The Manipur University Teachers Association (MUTA) and Manipur University Staff Association (MUSA) are hereby being been banned with immediate effect as the Manipur University Act 2005 does not have provisions for existence of employees' bodies," Pandey said.

Academic activities resumed in the central university on August 24, a day after the Manipur University Students' Union, along with MUTA and MUSA, called off their 85-day long agitation, demanding immediate removal of Pandey over administrative and financial irregularities.

The protest was called off following the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the representatives of HRD Ministry and the state government.

The agitators, in a symbolic gesture, unlocked the doors of the administrative block office and other departments of the university.

Earlier, in July, the HRD ministry had formed a fact-finding committee, headed by a retired chief justice of Meghalaya, to probe into the allegations against the vice chancellor.

Pandey, in his statement, said it was inevitable to curb the activities of both MUTA and MUSA to bring "order and discipline" in the university.

"Disciplinary actions will be initiated against any employee of the university involved in the activities of both the bodies," he added.

Pandey's statement triggered resentment among the university community.

Debananda Singh, a spokesperson of MUTA, told media Sunday that Pandey's resumption of duty will "disturb normalcy on the campus".

He sought the intervention of Chief Minister N Biren Singh and the HRD ministry on the issue.

In a joint communiqu, the protesting bodies threatened to resume their agitation if the "competent authorities do not take appropriate action on or before September 4".

The agitators claimed that orders issued by Pandey were "null and void" as the probe into the allegations leveled against him was still pending.

They also expressed disappointment over the fact that the HRD ministry-appointed committee has not arrived at the university yet to carry out their investigations.

I Tomba, the president of MUTA, said the protesters will not allow Pandey to enter the university campus.

"Our demand for removal of Pandey remains steadfast and any attempt to suppress it will not be tolerated. The order issued by Pandey is an insult to the university community," he added.