Dual Registrar dilemma at Telangana University puts campus peace under strain

Students of Telangana University, Nizamabad, during a protest. | Photo Credit: File Photo

There seems no resolution to the issue of appointment of a Registrar at Telangana University in Nizamabad. Currently, there are two Registrars, one appointed by the Executive Council (EC), and the other by the Vice-Chancellor. This situation has caused a division among the students over extending support to one of them.

The EC’s choice was professor Yadagiri while Vice-Chancellor Ravinder Gupta named professor Kanakaiah. When both officials entered the Registrar’s office to join duty, there was an argument over who would occupy the chair.

The unfortunate situation has also split students as well as the support staff down the middle in terms of siding with one of the two Registrars. Interestingly, this happened even after Education Secretary Vakati Karuna issued a note to the university to honour the decision of the EC and stated that the Vice-Chancellor has to accept the EC’s decision.

With both the warring groups sticking to their stand, the image of the university seems to have taken a beating, a student shared. Some students feel the campus atmosphere has been “polluted” due to the issue and are hoping for the government to put an end to the embarassing situation.

With the two Registrars fighting for the chair, several students protested in the Vice-Chancellor’s chambers on Tuesday demanding his resignation for ‘spoiling’ the university’s image with unnecessary controversies. They also alleged misappropriation of funds and violation of norms in the appointment of outsourcing employees.

The Vice-Chancellor is at loggerheads with government officials over the appointment of the Registrar for the past eight months. Five Registrars were appointed during the eight months with each of them resigning as either the EC did not approve their appointment or because of them finding it difficult to work amid the present atmosphere.

The removal of V-C’s choice is apparently to fix the Vice-Chancellor over the issue of alleged misappropriation of funds and also the appointment of outsourcing employees without taking EC’s permission. While the saga continues, students demand immediate intervention on the government’s part.