Tamil Nadu - Dindigul   

Students and teachers stage demonstration

Staff Reporter

Issue solved amicably at Gandhigram Rural University

CRISIS MANAGEMENT: Former Vice-Chancellor G.Pangajam, second from right, interacting with students at Gandhigram Rural University on Tuesday. — PHOTO: G. KARTHIKEYAN.

DINDIGUL: Students, faculty members, non-teaching staff and syndicate members of Gandhigram Rural University on Tuesday staged a demonstration and laid a siege to the Vice-Chancellor's office demanding protection to Professor K. Soma Sundaram and reinstatement of N. Sundara Vadivelu as Registrar immediately.

(Decision to reinstate the Registrar was taken at the Syndicate meeting held on December 6.)

They demanded reply from the Vice-Chancellor T. Karunakaran on alleged financial irregularities in construction of buildings on the university campus.

Students complained to the Vice-Chancellor that there was no protection to teaching staff as outsiders filed petitions against Mr. Somasundaram who had tried to protect the interests of students.

Moreover unidentified persons were distributing pamphlets against the professor at the university entrance, they alleged.

Meanwhile, five Syndicate members questioned why the Vice-Chancellor did not respect the Syndicate and reinstate Mr. Sundaravadivelu, who had resigned his job, as Registrar again. Another member stated that they had lost confidence in him.

Mr. Karunakaran said he was ready to resign the job, if they proved that he had violated the Memorandum of Associations and Rules and Regulations of the university.

Later, former Vice-Chancellor, G. Pankajam, and Gandhigram Trust managing trustee R. Kousalya Devi came to the spot and held open meetings with students and five Syndicate members in the presence of teaching and non-teaching staff.

The agitation continued for four hours. The police were deployed at the spot.

After an in-camera meeting, Syndicate members said an order reinstating Mr. Sundara Vadivelu as Registrar had been served.

The Vice-Chancellor had agreed to write a letter to the police against a `false' petition filed against the professor.

Later, they withdrew agitation.

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