A day after an order suspending Associate Professor Shreya Bhattacharji was sent out by the Registrar of the Central University of Jharkhand, Vice Chancellor Nand Kumar Yadav was forced to issue a corrigendum on Wednesday.
According to Mr. Yadav, the earlier order had dragged the name of Governor Draupadi Murmu, by stating that she had cancelled her visit to the university because of Professor Panini’s credentials. “The order from the Registrar’s Office should have been carefully worded,” Mr. Yadav said. “The reason for the Governor not attending could have been anything and it was not correct to say, she cancelled her visit to the campus because of Mr Panini,” Mr. Yadav said.
Ms. Bhattacharya who is Associate Professor at the Centre of English Language was suspended on Tuesday for inviting retired professor M.N. Panini to deliver a lecture on the 140th anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel at the campus.
The new order issued on Wednesday, which The Hindu has read, is also marked to the Governor’s office, and now reads as follows: Dr Shreya Bhattacharji, Associate Professor Centre of English Language, should not have proposed sharing dias by Hon. Governor State of Jharkhand with a person of disputed integrity (Prof. Panini). The people believed that due to this, the visit of Hon’ble Governor, State of Jharkhand on the University campus on 19th March, 2016, could not be confirmed.” This is signed by Professor R.K. Dey Registrar (I/C) for VC.
Mr. Yadav, however blamed Ms Bhattacharji for keeping him in the dark and not informing beforehand about the credentials of Professor Panini which had caused considerable unrest in the campus. Professor Panini was invited by the University administration to deliver a lecture on Sardar Patel on the occasion of his 140th .anniversary, and was on his way, when Mr Yadav called him to say he was cancelling the trip. “If Ms Bhattacharya had informed me well in advance, things would not have come to such pass,” Mr Yadav said.
He also added that it was after he received some emails and smses from unknown people who had threatened to disrupt professor Panini’s lecture, prompting him to call off the lecture. To a specific question on whether he should have lodged a complaint with the police instead of cancelling the lecture, Mr Yadav said, with the celebrations under way, there was no time to approach the police with a formal complaint.
Meanwhile, Professor Panini said he was contemplating legal action against the university authorities for casting aspersion on his integrity and character.
