Delhi University suspended Kirori Mal College Principal Dr. Bhim Sen Singh on Wednesday and will also take him to court for defamation -- a day after he threatened to go on an indefinite hunger strike demanding the immediate removal of the newly appointed chairman after making a host of allegations against him, while circulating documents that insinuated that the university’s registrar was of unsound mind.
“Dr. Bhim Sen Singh has been suspended for his gross indiscipline in publically making allegations against his own colleague without even informing the university about it. The governing body of his own college unanimously voted for his suspension,” said Dean of colleges Professor Sudhish Pachauri, adding that the credentials of the newly-appointed chairman Mr. Baleshwar Rai, a retired IAS officer, had been investigated by the university before inviting him for the honorary position.
Dr. Sen had, on Tuesday also circulated a court judgment which stated that the Registrar was of unsound mind, which the university said was actually a court judgment of another woman bearing the same name. “We will be filing a criminal case of defamation against Dr. Sen for assassinating the character of an upright university official by circulating misleading documents and such,” said South Campus Director Umesh Rai.
Vice-Chancellor Dinesh Singh when contacted said that his office forbade him from saying anything at this stage but confirmed that he knew and disapproved of the whole affair.
Meanwhile, the staff association of Kirori Mal College has come out in support of Dr. Sen while alleging that the university was taking revenge on Dr. Sen for his opposition to the semester system last year. “We took out a protest march to the Vice-Chancellor’s office as soon as we heard the news. Around 800 students also joined us,” said KMC staff association secretary Rudrashish Chakraborty, adding that none of the university officials were present when they reached the office and that they were not even allowed inside the office.
The Association has said that it will continue to agitate until Dr. Sen is re-appointed and Mr. Baleshwar Rai is suspended. It will also be asking the acting principal to decline the position and will be roping in the Delhi University Teachers’ Association for support. “We will be meeting soon to decide what to do,” said DUTA president Amar Deo Sharma, adding that the manner in which Dr. Sen was suspended was suspicious and that he disapproved of the words that were used in the suspension order.
“The notice for the meeting was sent at 6 a.m. in the morning and the meeting happened in the Viceregal lodge by 9 a.m. The suspension order says Dr. Sen is prohibited from entering his own college and from leaving the city until the enquiry is complete, is he some sort of terrorist that they are treating him this way?” he added.
