Alleging unruly behaviour by students at the behest political leaders, Vice-Chancellor of Ravenshaw University Prof Prakash Chandra Sarangi on Monday stepped down from his post and faxed his resignation letter to Governor and University Chancellor Dr SC Jamir.
later in the evening, after meeting Jamir at the Raj Bhavan in Bhubaneswar, Prof Sarangi told the waiting media that the Chancellor refused to accept his resignation and he has been asked to continue until further orders. He said he was assured by the Governor that all kinds of administrative cooperation would be extended to him.
“The Chancellor has assured me that all sorts of administrative cooperation would be extended to me to defend all sorts of political interferences in running the university as per its statute and rules prescribed in the Odisha Universities Act,” said Prof Sarangi, whose tenure as VC is to end in January next year.
Earlier in the day, Prof Sarangi had been heckled by a group of 50 to 60 students in the university campus asking him to instantly revoke the last week’s suspension order imposed on six students, who were found guilty by the university disciplinary committee for inciting a group clash among the inmates of two hostels in November last.
When the V-C expressed his inability to grant them instant justice, the agitated students asked him to step down from his post and started jeering at him shouting slogans like “Former VC Murdabad”. Shocked over the behaviour of the students, a sulking Sarangi in a fit of frustration faxed his resignation letter to the Chancellor.
Speaking to the media, Prof Saragi alleged that he has been facing untold political interferences from two groups of a particular political party (obviously referring to the ruling BJD) and is not getting a free hand to run the university smoothly. “Neither the civil society nor the media have helped me in this situation,” he rued.
Ever since he joined as the V-C in January 2015, Prof Sarangi has not been able to solve any of the inherent problems of the university. He has not been able to recruit even a single faculty member or any non-teaching staffs for last two years of the staff-crunched university. At least 20 writ petitions, including PIls, by over 15 persons challenging the recruitment process are now pending disposal in the Orissa High Court.