VC resumes charge, vowes to defy political interference

Cuttack: Professor PC Sarangi, vice-chancellor of Ravenshaw University resumed office on Tuesday after the Odisha Governor and Chancellor of the University Dr S C Jamir refused to accept his resignation.

Sarangi after joining office said that any form of indiscipline by the students inside the campus would be dealt with strictly.

He also vowed that the Ravenshaw University, from now on, would not tolerate any political interference while carrying out its activities.

"The Chancellor has assured me that all administrative cooperation shall be extended to me while dealing with any form of indiscipline by any group of students inside the campus. If needed, he (the Chancellor) would speak to the state government about it", Sarangi, who had sent his resignation letter to the Governor in a huff on Monday, said after resuming office yesterday.

Sarangi alleged that students owning allegiance to local political leaders were creating unnecessary problem and spoiling the academic ambience of the campus.

"Empowered with political connections, the guilty and erring students are demanding to be the judge, the jury and the executioner", Sarangi said.

Meanwhile, Odisha's Higher Education minister Pradeep Panigrahi denied that the state government had ever tried to meddle with the affairs of any of the universities in the state.

"The VC's statements are of his own and the government does not buy them," Panigrahi said.

On the other hand, the two main opposition parties in the city - the Congress and the BJP have decided to gherao the university on Wednesday protesting against, what they called, "interference of two local BJD MLAs" in the affairs of the university.