The Federation of Central Universities’ Teachers’ Associations (FEDCUTA) has condemned the “arbitrary termination” of the service of Ningombam Bupenda Meitei as a guest faculty at Manipur University.
Mr. Meitei was on June 26 appointed in the Philosophy Department for six months but his services were terminated after less than two months.
“Throwing all academic freedom to the wind, Mr. Meitei was asked to clarify whether he was a member of a political party. Subsequently on the grounds of being a member of a political party, he was thrown out of his job. Such actions spring out of attempts to impose the Central Civil Services Rules in universities which are contrary to building a free and fair academic atmosphere in a university,” FEDCUTA president Rajib Ray and secretary Atul Sood said in a statement issued on Thursday night.
“In the past and currently, even full-time teachers in the universities have exercised this freedom and even contested elections on the tickets of various political parties. Academic freedom has meant the freedom to carry through one’s beliefs and convictions in the political arena,” they said.
“The FEDCUTA believes that this termination of services of Mr. Meitei, who belongs to a different political party and ideology, comes out of the authoritarian imposition of the ideology of the ruling BJP government in Manipur on Manipur University,” the federation said.
