3 Sep : Sangarsh- A movement for Justice, Equality, Peace, Prosperity and Brotherhood issued a press hand out and Mr. Suresh Kumar, founder member of the Sangarsh movement said that inspite of having 90 days long protest by the movement regarding the absolute favoritism in extensions, promotions, violations of norms in the process of appointments and financial bunglings,
misappropriations of funds and academic disorder in the University of Jammu, Mr. Suresh Kumar alleged that university administration has shown no concern and put on the criminal silence on issues. In the latest cases of favoritism Sangarsh has exposed a malafied engineering of giving extension to Prof. N.R Sharma, Department of Education
Mr. Suresh Kumar claimed that the Vice-Chancellor, University of Jammu, may soon reward favoritism for being a party to his countless misdeeds. The reward may come in the form of an extension or some other assignment with huge monetary benefits to Prof. Naubat Ram Sharma who got retired on July 31, 2008. Extension may be given by getting his case done through the Departmental Affairs Committee (DAC) of the Education Department though in fact Prof. Mattoo uses his discretion in the matter as in many cases extensions have been granted or refused by him by overriding the decisions of the DACs in violation of University norms. A senior Prof. of the same department was given extension even though the DAC of the department passed a resolution against his extension. On the other hand, he did not give five months extension to the HOD, Sociology who retired on 30.6.08, just on the plea that the faculty members do not want, even though there was no DAC meeting and nothing formal was given to the Vice Chancellor in writing.
Mr. Suresh Kumar highlighted that it is everyone’s knowledge that Prof N. R. Sharma (NR) has close association with the grand B. Ed. racket being run by the Vice-Chancellor through the office of the Director Colleges Development (DCD). B. Ed, as every one knows, is the money minting machine for the University officials and some of the teachers. This money comes to the officials and teachers both through legal and illegal manners through lifafa (envelope) culture. [Lifafa is handed over to the members of the Affiliation Committee. Only God and the management know how much money is there in the band lifafa]. Of the seventy B. Ed. colleges, most need affiliation on yearly basis, Prof. NR Sharma was placed by the Vice- Chancellor and the Director, Colleges Development in almost all the Committees. He is an important part of the network run by the DCD, Dr. Meenakshi Kilam.
Mr. Suresh further mentioned that Prof. N.R Sharma was also the Provost (Hostels) of the University from December 2006 to May 2007. And as a Provost he proved to be highly inefficient. He was to look after the needs of the boarders and take interest in their welfare. But he did not do so. The records and the press
reports clearly show that the hostel conditions were the worst during his tenure. Boarders in the boys’ hostels always had the problem of goondagardi and security remained a problem in all the boys’ hostel. So many times outsiders would come and beat the boarders. Two big agitations, one in August 2007 and the other in December 2007, regarding security problem in the boys’ hostels happened where some outsider miscreants had attacked the genuine boarders in the hostel. But the Provost turned a deaf ear towards the boarders’ problem. Provost was given a free hand by the Vice-Chancellor. In the name of disciplining the students, the agitations were crushed with the involvement of JK Police, which was telecast by CNN-IBN and other national channels. To tarnish the image of students, the agitation was called as communal by the Provost and the Vice-Chancellor.
Mr. Suresh projected that the worst sufferers of the Provost’s inefficiency were the boarders of the girls’ hostel. He was very rude to them and often humiliated them. He did not take interest in the welfare of the boarders and not even paid attention to the various complaints that these boarders had about the functioning of the hostels, especially those related to the Wardens. Prof. N.R Sharma along with one of the wardens who was quite unpopular among Boarders harassed them. These students had only recourse to the Provost but he would not listen to them at all. This particular unpopular Warden was not only protected by him but was also ensured uninterrupted tenure. In fact she was given the additional charge of Warden of another newly constructed girl’s hostel. In this matter Prof. Sharma was quite arbitrary in his approach – retaining and rewarding the most unpopular Warden while shunting out the ones who were very popular and worked for the cause of the students. In an open letter circulated by the boarders of the girls hostels to the Vice-Chancellor and the Heads of all the Departments of the University and various students organizations in February 2008, these boarders had informed about their plight under the dictatorship of the Provost Prof. N.R Sharma. But nothing was done. Rather the girls were subjected to severer harassment by that Warden and the Provost. Financial bunglings by the duo in the hostel matters have also been reported. A bad nexus operated in the University hostels. The wrongdoings of the unpopular Wardens were protected by the Provost and those of the provost by the Vice-Chancellor.
As President of Jammu University Teachers Association (JUTA), he proved to be horrible. He used the office of JUTA for his personal benefits. He got one teacher suspended and supported administration in this case. To please the Vice-Chancellor, he condemned in the media an open letter of one of the renowned and respectable senior Professor questioning irregularities in the University without discussing the matter in the JUTA. He was very unpopular and took arbitrary decisions without holding the General Body Meetings (GBMs) of the JUTA. The two Wardens of the Girls Hostels removed wrongfully by him in August 2007, had carried out a signature campaign for holding the General Body Meeting of the JUTA. But he refused to call the meeting even though more than 130 teachers had signed. JU teachers even started a signature campaign against him when they found that he had no intention to relinquish the office even six months after his tenure as President JUTA was over. Open letters by the teachers of the University clearly show how he harassed the members of his own teaching community as JUTA president he added.
He said what if Prof. Naubat Ram has been inefficient? What if he has been unpopular? What if he is inhuman? What if he is a dictator? These are the qualities endeared and appreciated by the Vice-Chancellor.N.R. Sharma is the favourite sycophant of Prof. Mattoo. So, for Prof. N.R. Sharma, the rewards are sure to pour—-may be in the form of an extension or something else—-let’s wait –n-watch!
Mr. Suresh said that Sangarsh warns for the redressal of their issues as early as possible otherwise the movement shall be forced to knock the doors of higher authorities in the State and in the centre.