The agitation being staged by Uttarakhand Kranti Dal under the banner of Chatriya Kranti Morcha against alleged corruption in G B Pant Engineering College has entered its 77th day on Friday while the sit-in and the hunger strike by the UKD district unit president Subodh Pokhriyal has got into its fifth day. They are staging the sit- in and the hunger strike now near the Collectorate. The administration is worried over the deteriorating health condition of those staging the hunger strike. However, the agitators said that they would not withdraw the stir until their demand of a SIT inquiry is ordered into the graft charges they have leveled against the administration of the college. Meanwhile, the principal of the college, Ghurdori (Pauri) has stripped Sandeep Kumar of the additional charge of registrar while acting on the demand of the agitators who alleged that Kumar had been appointed in violation of the norms. Kumar would now continue with his earlier charge as training and placement officer while Sanjeev Naithani has been asked to assume the charge of the registrar.
UKD leaders said that despite many memorandums served to the chief minister and district magistrate alleging financial irregularities, no action so far has been taken. “Though the DM ordered an inquiry and appointed a three- member committee headed by the additional district magistrate, the probe is yet to start despite one month having passed since the constitution of the committee. We are clinging to our demand of a SIT probe into the charges. Besides, the appointment of Sandeep Kumar as TPO was illegal and unconstitutional. A full- fledged probe is needed to expose embezzlement of funds meant for purchasing some instruments,” said Pokhriyal.
Quizzed over the situation prevailing in the college, the principal Engineering College Ghurdori Satya Prakash Pandey said that Sandeep Kumar has been stripped of the additional charge as registrar. “The memorandums served to us have been sent to the State Government. Now, it is up to the state government to order a probe into the graft and other charges,” he added.