The SVM Autonomous College got a new principal after lingaraj Behera retired on Monday. Rabi Prasnna Sahoo assumed the office.
But controversy surfaced against Sahoo as after superseding his two seniors he got the post that contravenes State Higher Education Department’s guidelines with regard to college principal appointment.
Reports said that a month ago, the controversy had surfaced as to who will obtain SVM College principal post after lingaraj Behera’s term ended on February 29. The Higher Education Department had instructed the new principal should be appointed from a bunch of senior lecturers to take charge from the outgoing principal. Acting on the Higher Education Department instruction, one woman lecturer was the senior most staff. But since she was to retire in a month, she declined to take charge. The next senior was lingaraj Choudhury. His name had been sponsored to the Higher Education Department for the new principal’s post and the proposal was accepted. But soon pressure mounted up on Choudhury from several quarters, including college governing body, forcing him not to take charge.
Interestingly, again the college authority wrote a letter to the higher-ups that Choudhury had refused to accept the principal’s post and recommended one Rabi Prasanna Sahoo’s name for the post. The Higher Education Department, however, declined the proposal and instructed that Choudhury should assume office.
But sources added that on Monday forenoon Choudhury was ready to accept the principal post and reached outgoing principal’s office but he was pressurised to sign a refusal letter to be sent to the Higher Education Department. Feared, Choudhury later declined to take charge and Sahoo assumed the charge.
The incident raised eyebrows among students, educationists, college employees and locals.