E-Paper
Karnataka professor’s death triggers row, Congress alleges VC posts are up for sale
Prof Kumar, a former registrar of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences was found dead at his Mico Layout residence on Sunday.
After a retired Bangalore University Professor N S Ashok Kumar was found to have died by suicide on Sunday, the Karnataka Congress on Monday demanded a judicial enquiry into his death by a sitting judge of the high court alleging his death was linked to ‘corruption’ in appointments of vice chancellors in universities in the state.
KPCC president D K Shivakumar alleged that vice chancellor posts are being sold in the state and that Prof Kumar had “borrowed and paid Rs 2.5 crore to influential people so that he could be appointed the vice chancellor of a university but neither was he appointed nor the money returned”.
Prof Kumar, a former registrar of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences was found dead at his Mico Layout residence on Sunday and the police had said they did not know the reason why he took his own life.
Shivakumar alleged that right from the lowest rung to the VC’s post, the current BJP government had started selling positions in universities to the highest bidder. A day before Prof Kumar died by suicide, the state government announced four new appointments of vice chancellors to the Nrupathunga, Raichur, Mandya and Maharani Cluster Universities.
Also Read: Former Karnataka minister Vinay Kulkarni sent to 14 days judicial custody in murder case
The higher education department portfolio is currently with Deputy CM C N Ashwath Narayan. The KPCC president alleged that there was rampant corruption in the appointment of officials in all universities of the state.
The state government was yet to respond officially to the charges by Congress party. However, an education department senior official said, “These are false and baseless charges. The minister will respond when it is appropriate. I don’t want to comment on a politically sensitive matter further.”
