The officiating principal of Delhi University's Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Sciences has resigned from the post, saying he is not comfortable with the "autocratic functioning" of varsity Vice-Chancellor Dinesh Singh and cannot toe his line.
Dr Manoj Khanna, who had worked with the college as an assistant professor and vice-principal before he was made the officiating principal in 2013, was granted a six-month extension last month.
However, he chose to resign citing "difficulties working under the prevailing circumstances in the varsity".
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"I sincerely express my thanks to you and the University of Delhi for reposing faith in me and extending my tenure as officiating principal of the college further for a period of six months. However, I would like to inform you that in the present circumstances, I am not interested in continuing as officiating principal," Khanna has said in his resignation letter.
Asked about the "circumstances", Khanna said, "I was disappointed with the administration's attitude about faculty appointments. I had sent a vacancy advertisement on March 19 to the office concerned to be published, but DU has not taken a call on it even after a month."
He also alleged that the colleges have been forced to submit false affidavits to All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for getting an approval for running B.Tech courses, which are part of the erstwhile FYUP.
"I had written to the Vice-Chancellor also raising my concerns about the future of students being jeopardised. But I found myself uncomfortable with the autocratic functioning of the VC and I cannot toe his line, so I decided to quit".
University authorities, however, denied the allegations levelled by Khanna.
"There has been no delay on the varsity's end in connection with the advertisements for the appointments. By the time the said advertisement was received, the appointment process in other colleges was already completed or was in process. So, the delay was at college's end not at varsity's.
"Also, on the AICTE issue DU has not forced any college principal to file wrong affidavits, and has been committed to resolve the issue," DU spokesperson and Joint Dean of Student Welfare Malay Neerav said.
"Choosing to resign is an individual's personal choice but the allegations raised by him are false and fabricated and maligning the image of an institution is an act which is in bad taste," Neerav added.