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PUTA flays suspension of teacher

By Our Special Correspondent

CHANDIGARH NOV. 2. The Panjab University Teachers' Association president, Harjinder Singh, and Secretary, Akshaya Kumar, have condemned the suspension of Himmat Singh Ratnoo, secretary of the Maharshi Dayanand University (based at Rohtak) Teachers' Association and a Member of the MDU Executive Council.

In a press statement issued here today, they criticised the "arbitrary and dictatorial move'' of the MDU authorities. They asserted that Dr. Ratnoo was an academic of impeccable intellectual integrity and commitment. As a representative of teachers, he had every right to debate and argue over issues that concerned teachers and the University as a whole.

A letter of protest against the "despotic attitude'' of the MDU Vice-Chancellor has already been sent to the Haryana Governor, who is also the Chancellor of the University, seeking his immediate intervention in the issue.

While expressing full solidarity with the teachers of MDU Rohtak and Dr. Ratnoo in particular, they added that PUTA was ready to take up the issue of restoration of democratic norms in MD University at all regional and national platforms. "We demand immediate withdrawal of suspension orders against Dr. Ratnoo and the Vice-Chancellor owes an explanation to all concerned to account for his blatantly anti-academic conduct. A University, we believe, is not a military barrack; it is a site of intellectual ferment. PUTA views the suspension of Dr. Ratnoo as an attack on the foundations of University as a whole,'' they added.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ratnoo and other senior dons, including Sudha Jain, MDUTA president, Ajmer Singh Kajal, MDUTA joint secretary and Vazir Nehra, vice-president of the AIFUCTO, called on the Haryana Governor, Babu Parmanand, at the Raj Bhawan here and apprised him of the entire episode and urged him to intervene and order the revocation of "suspension.''

They alleged that the Vice-Chancellor was victimising those representatives of teachers who dared to speak and raise important issues in various university bodies like the Executive Council and the Academic Council. They asserted that Dr. Ratnoo was suspended by the Vice-Chancellor for opposing "hijacking of democracy'' at a meeting of the Academic Council held at Rohtak on October 17.

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