As if the long list of controversies Bangalore University (BU) has been mired in wasn't enough, a new one has surfaced.
Perhaps, for the first in the history of the university, an FIR has been registered against its Vice-Chancellor, N. Prabhu Dev, related to the complaint filed under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
The FIR was lodged on Saturday following a complaint by the family of university engineer N. Puttaswamy.
The engineer allegedly suffered a heart attack after Dr. Prabhu Dev verbally abused him for delaying the issue of work order to the contractor for the construction of the remaining buildings at the Kolar Postgraduate (PG) Centre. Apart from this complaint of “mental harassment”, the Bangalore University Non-Teaching Staff SC/ST Association filed another complaint against the Vice-Chancellor for “atrocities against SC and ST communities”.
In a letter sent to Syndicate members on February 29, Dr. Prabhu Dev said: “The Syndicate resolved to authorise the university engineer as a last chance with a direction to issue a fresh work order to the contractor on the same day of the meeting (February 22). However, even on February 28, the university engineer has not issued the revised agreement. I expect an appropriate response from your end on further action to be taken against the university engineer for his failure to comply with the syndicate's directions.”
Subsequently, Dr. Prabhu Dev is said to have questioned Mr. Puttaswamy, after which the engineer suffered a heart attack.
The Jnana Bharathi police is planning to summon the Vice-Chancellor before the Investigating Officer (IO).
Dr. Prabhu Dev would be asked to appear before the IO at the Jnana Bharathi police station shortly, said the officer, who did not want to be named.
Asked what his next move would be, Dr. Prabhu Dev said the only thing left for him to do now was to allow the police to carry out investigation.
Meanwhile, sources in the Bangalore University Non-Teaching Staff SC/ST Association said if the police did not initiate action, they would approach the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.
