Bangalore University Protest: Siddaramaiah asks govt to intervene

Hundreds of Bangalore University students and faculty members are under protest for days as the University Vice-Chancellor’s (VC) post remains vacant since March 16.

Hundreds of Bangalore University students and faculty members are protesting for days as the University Vice-Chancellor’s (VC) post remains vacant since March 16. The Postgraduate and research scholars association took out a rally at the Jnanabharathi campus demanding the speedy appointment of a VC.

Faculty members and student representatives protested outside Bengaluru University. (TNIE photo)

Siddaramaiah has stepped in for support of the protestors and tweeted on Thursday, “Bengaluru University has rich history & its students have excelled in various domains. The ongoing issue related to appointment of VC is a serious concern. @BJP4Karnataka govt should wake up from slumber to bring order in the university's administration.@BJP4Karnataka govt should respect the decision of the High Court in the appointment of VC. Any delay will derail administrative decisions & the future of students."

The campus is headless since March 16, as the division bench of the Karnataka High Court upheld a single-judge bench order that quashed the appointment of Prof. Venugopal.

Prof. K R Venugopal had vacated his post as VC after the Karnataka HC dismissed four appeals last week which questioned the order of a single judge bench that had set aside the appointment of the VC. As the appointment was done by the Governor without the state government’s concurrence, reports said.

According to sources, several members of the Bangalore University board had appealed to the Governor and the state government to supervise affairs of the varsity under the leadership of former VC Prof. K R Venugopal and have also asked to make alternative arrangements.

The members have reportedly asked the state government to cancel all decisions taken by Prof. Venugopal in the last four years, stating that several works on the campus require monitoring.

Although they have approached both the state government and the governor’s office with the issue, no fruitful results have been achieved till date.

The government reported having said the Governor’s office must make alternative arrangements for the proposal. But the Governor’s office said they are waiting on a proposal from the government to appoint a new VC.

The board has sought the postponement of the annual convocation, scheduled for next month, and the university budget discussions, scheduled for March 25.

However, cancelling the convocation could hurt many students. Several autonomous colleges affiliated with the University are dependent upon it to issue degree certificates to its students, which takes one year after graduation to arrive. Since the arrival of the coronavirus, the delay has been extended to more than three years, which has repercussions on students applying for jobs.