By Atif Jaleel, India Tomorrow,
New Delhi/ Hyderabad, 27 Jan 2014: The Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee has sought President of India Pranab Mukherjee’s intervention in the row between the vice-chancellor and the deputy finance officer of the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), stating that the alleged harassment by the institution on Dr. Rasool Saheb, Deputy Registrar (Finance), is a “violation of human rights and civil liberties.”
The standoff between the university administration and the finance officer started on 2nd January this year when Registrar P. Madhavan, under the alleged orders of vice-chancellor Sunaina Singh, sealed Dr. Rasool’s office and asked him to hand over all files in his custody/possession to the registrar in-charge during an ongoing Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit.
According to civil rights group CLMC, it received a complaint from Dr. Rasool Saheb wherein he said he is mentally and physically harassed by the Registrar I/c Prof. Madhavan, by forcefully confiscating his room without any valid reason that too on the orders of VC…”
Deputy Registrar Dr. Rasool was suspended on 21st January by the institution on the basis of “partial report inquiry committee” for his code of conduct.
However, Lateef Mohd. Khan, General Secretary, CLMC, alleged the VC was targeting Dr. Rasool for some other reason.
“The VC is taking her anger out on Dr. Rasool Saheb. He is an honest man who only did what was directed to him by the CAG when the audit occurred on official procedures,” said Mr. Khan while talking to India Tomorrow.
Due to the harsh nature of the VC, Mr. Khan alleged, the environment at the university had drastically been made worse and people were upset. According to him, the recent suicides of three university students, two boys and a girl, on the campus could have been prevented if it wasn’t for the VC’s “carelessness.” One of the suicide victims was Mudassir Kamran, a student at the university.
Sources close to the suspended officer told India Tomorrow that faculty members as well as students have been allegedly asked by the VC to register false complaints against him for allegedly harassing them.
CLMC has also written to HRD Minister Pallam Raju and his junior Shashi Tharoor seeking their help in this matter and asked for the removal of Sunaina Singh as the vice-chancellor of EFLU.
Mr. Khan informed India Tomorrow that the President of India immediately took action on the letter sent by him and forwarded it to the CAG.
