Kozhikode: Several decisions made by the universities in Kerala have become controversies following the intervention of the ‘Save University Campaign Committee.”
The group had intervened in the appointment of Ninitha Kanichery, wife of former Member of Parliament M B Rajesh, in Sanskrit University Kalady, and the move to appoint MLA A N Shamseer’s wife Dr P M Shahala in Kannur University, allegedly flouting rules.
The allegations that committee levels are debated by the academia, and they often reach the court, forcing universities to respond.
So, who and what is the committee that keeps the universities on its radar? What is its aim?
The collective’s secretary, M Shajar Khan, said the committee has been striving to make the functions of universities transparent. He spoke in detail about the campaign committee.
Universities of torture
The Save University Campaign Committee has its beginnings in the University College, Thiruvananthapuram, in 2019, after a woman student attempted suicide on the campus after she had been allegedly harassed by the activists of the Student’s Federation of India.
The committee had then intervened in the human rights issues in the University College. An independent commission was constituted to study the campuses in Kerala after the student’s suicide bid.
The Justice (Retd) P K Shamsudeen Commission report made several shocking revelations. The report said several students’ union offices in colleges and universities double up as torture chambers (or idi muri in Malayalam).
Students, who opened up before the commission, deposed that such chambers, besides in University College, existed in Government Arts College in Thiruvananthapuram, Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam, and the Government College at Madappally, Kozhikode, among others.
The students also told the commission that teachers normally remained spectators during violent incidents in college, and often leaked question papers to union leaders. The report also shed light on the pathetic academic culture, and the flexing of muscles to sideline rival student political outfits.
The Save University Campaign Committee expanded its functions based on the findings of the Justice Shamsudeen Commission.
The committee was started by Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) leader Shajar Khan and former syndicate member of the Kerala University, R S Sasikumar. The committee, today, has support bases in all universities in Kerala, and even top varsity officials, many of them clandestinely, have been backing the campaign.
Several issues that could not be voiced aloud due to political reasons have been passed on to the committee, which make them public. More people would support the movement in future, perhaps covertly.
Timely interventions
The Save University Campaign Committee, of late, has been giving priority in taking up university decisions that would have a larger public impact than individual issues.
It had intervened in issues such as ‘gifting’ of marks by former Minister K T Jaleel and MG University, ‘unlawful’ appointments of Ninitha Rajesh, Dr P M Shahala, and wife of former MP P K Biju, besides those affecting Calicut, Kannur, MG and Agriculture universities.
The committee had also made public the alleged ‘irregular’ appointment of the principal of LBS Institute of Technology for Women, regularization of temporary employees of Calicut University, and backdoor appointments at Digital University are some of the issues the committee had taken up.
The committee lodged as many as nine complaints against former minister Jaleel alone. No one questioned when he had intervened in university matters in violation of the varsity rules and regulations.
For instance, Jaleel had put pressure on the Kerala University to approve the shifting of Dasappan, Principal-cum- Associate Professor in Latin language to the English department of St Xavier’s College at Thumba in Thiruvananthapuram. This was a thanksgiving move in return for appointing the daughter of the minister’s friend as a faculty in the Commerce department.
The university had earlier cited a Supreme Court order to reject the application for shifting Dasappan to the English department. The minister, however, put pressure on the university to re-look its decision. On being informed, the Save University Campaign Committee intervened and stalled the move.
The move to appoint Shahala in Kannur University was made when the code of conduct was in place. The plan was to complete the process before the announcement of the election result, so that even if LDF loses, it won’t affect her appointment.
She was considered for the newly created post of Assistant Professor in the university’s Human Resource Development Centre (HRDC), recently launched by the University Grants Commission (UGC). An online interview was scheduled for April 16.
According to UGC norms, however, all posts in the HRDC are temporary, but an attempt was made to make the post of one assistant professor permanent. Also, 30 candidates were shortlisted for the single post. It also sparked suspicion.
The interview would have been an eyewash in the time of COVID-19. The committee realized the plan, and intervened.
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has now sought legal advice in the case pertaining to the appointment of Ninitha Kanichery. It is to be seen if the probe would progress if the LDF gets a second term. But if there is a change of power, the truth will be revealed.
The committee is aware that approaching the government with certain complaints won’t yield any result. Hence, complaints are routed through the governor or UGC. The committee now gets information of possible sabotage in advance, and the panel acts accordingly.
Information is collected from departments concerned and all other possible sources, including through applications filed under the Right to Information Act. Information thus collected will be presented before the public and courts simultaneously. It will also be forwarded to the governor.
What is the ultimate aim?
There was a time when we used to boast of highly qualified vice-chancellors and valued academic bodies. We should have them again. Politics have made our universities stoop to abysmal levels. Backdoor appointments are on a rise, often with the support of vice-chancellors themselves. We should wage a battle against such acts.
A 22-member panel makes the decisions of the campaign committee, which has the covert support of more than 100 people. There is a large section outside that wishes to see an improved academic scene. They help in litigation.
