SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Sept 27: The newly established Jharkhand Universities Teachers’ Association (JUTA) has demanded the immediate dismissal of Kolhan University Chaibasa’s examination controller, Dr Ajay Kumar Choudhary, following allegations of misbehaviour towards the Teachers Association’s president and secretary.
JUTA patron Dr Kanjiv Lochan has submitted a memorandum to KU Vice-Chancellor Hari Kumar Keshari, calling for action after considering the perspectives of both parties.
“Assault on the University Teachers Association president and secretary by a university authority is unbearable. The JUTA would not sit idle till the matter is settled,” said Dr Kanjiv Lochan in a telephone statement from Ranchi.
Incident details
The incident occurred on September 22, when Dr Ajay Kumar Choudhary allegedly misbehaved with KUTA president Dr Sanjay Kumar Singh and secretary Dr Indal Paswan during a meeting that was attended by Vice-Chancellor Hari Kumar Keshri.
The teachers’ body had raised complaints about the non-payment of evaluation remuneration for the past three years and irregularities in the examination department, which reportedly angered the examination controller and he misbehaved.
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Memorandum to Chancellor
On September 25, the KUTA organized a large-scale dharna to protest the incident and informed the Raj Bhawan (Chancellor’s office) about the alleged misconduct, seeking action against the examination controller.
“We have already given a memorandum to the Vice-Chancellor for seeking justice. The teachers of KU are shocked as such an incident with elected members has never occurred in the past, especially in the presence of the Vice-Chancellor. But no action has been initiated against the examination controller,” said Secretary Dr. Indal Paswan.
Examination controller Dr Ajay Kumar Choudhary did not respond to calls on Friday morning despite repeated attempts to obtain his perspective.
Reactions from other universities
The incident has drawn condemnation from various teacher associations. Dr KK Gupta, president of VBU Hazaribagh Teachers Association, and Dr Binod Ranjan, secretary, have called on KU teachers to boycott all examination-related work until the examination controller is penalized.
“Teachers have dignity and no authority will be allowed to violate it,” they stated.
Dr Amulya Suman Beck, secretary of BBMKU Dhanbad TA, criticized the examination controller’s actions as an attempt to cover up his irregularities, stating that such behaviour is unacceptable and undermines the dignity of the teaching profession.
Dr Santosh Kumar Sil, secretary of SKMU Dumka TA, echoed these sentiments, asserting that the examination controller’s behaviour shows he is unfit for the position and condemned the mindset that allowed such an incident to occur.
