New Delhi: Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) Chancellor has refused to preside over the varsity’s convocation which is slated for November 20 citing irregularities under the watch of varsity’s Vice-chancellor.
Chancellor Firoz Bakht Ahmed Chancellor has written to President Ram Nath Kovind informing him of his decision where he alleged irregularities and corruption in the varsity under the watch of V-C Mohammad Aslam Parvaiz, Indian Express reports.
When V-C Parvaiz was reached to speak on the allegations he said: “Firstly, there is a CAG audit of the university from 2012 to date, where no irregularities and corruption have been found. Moreover, if the Chancellor has complaints, then there is a vigilance body in MANUU and the (HRD) ministry to raise this with. Why go to the media directly,” asked the V-C who was appointed to the position in October 2015.
The Chancellor in his letter said that his participation in the convocation would be seen as “implied acquiescence of the illegalities and lack of probity, uprightness and rectitude by certain officials of MANUU”.
He further added that, “Having seen that the university is literally going to the dogs, I suggested some restructurings and reforms pointing at corrective measures, at which the V-C threatened of interfering and, in fact, stopped my entry into the university. That there is no space for activists like me and that I can enter the university only after his permission, and that too once a year for convocation.”
MANUU Chancellor has accused the V-C of mishandling two sexual harassment complaints against the varsity teacher.
When asked to comment on the complaints, V-C Parvaiz said: “The complaints that he is referring to are old and have already been dealt with by the university’s internal complaints committee. When the Chancellor wrote to us about it recently, we requested him to forward any fresh complaints to the ICC. What is wrong in that.”
As Ahmed claimed the University refused to hand over the ICC proceedings, Parvaiz reacting to that said: “These proceedings are confidential and I’m not legally permitted to disclose them to anyone.”
According to the sources, VC Parvaiz has also presented his defence to the President.