Amid allegations of corruption in Panjab University (PU), vice-chancellor Raj Kumar resigned from his post almost a year and a half before his second term was to end. The Chancellor and Vice-President of India, Jagdeep Dhankar has appointed Prof Renu Vig, Dean of University Instruction (DUI), to discharge the functions of the VC from January 16 till further orders. This is said to be the first time that a vice-chancellor of the university has resigned from his post.
While an official statement said Kumar had resigned due to family reasons, sources maintained that he was asked to resign on Saturday; this followed after Kumar was accused of corruption by senior BJP leader and Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain, who is also the senior most fellow at Panjab University. During the recent elections to the syndicate, differences between Jain and Kumar also emerged.
“There were serious corruption charges against Prof Kumar. I also met Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar in this connection several times. I do not know what triggered Raj Kumar to resign, I came to know that he submitted his resignation on January 10 and his resignation was accepted by the Chancellor on January 13,” Jain told The Pioneer.
He said, “I am very happy about this decision. I thank the BJP leadership and zero tolerance to the corruption policy of PM Narendra Modi over the decision of accepting the resignation of VC Raj Kumar. There are many complaints of corruption in the PU. A committee will look into these complaints.”
Besides the graft charges, Kumar’s tenure was marked by other controversies as he remained at loggerheads with the Panjab University Teachers’ Association and student groups as well as former members of the university’s senate and syndicate. Kumar, a professor at the Institute of Management Studies, Banaras Hindu University, was appointed as the 13th VC of PU on July 23, 2018, for three years. He was given a three-year extension in 2021. His tenure was to end on July 23, 2024.