Khalsa College appoints acting principal, registrar

AMRITSAR: Hoping to ease the tension over a hosteller’s suicide that has led to protests by students, Khalsa College Governing Council on Saturday appointed Sukhmeen Kaur Bedi, a senior professor and dean of academics, as acting principal of the historic college in Amritsar.

The dean for sciences, MS Batra, was appointed acting registrar, and Prof Gurdev Singh the head of the agriculture department.

The action comes since the principal, Mehal Singh, registrar Devender Singh and agriculture HoD Randeep Kaur Bal having been booked for abetting the suicide of Harpreet Singh, a student of BSc (agriculture) in his hostel room on Wednesday.

STUDENTS VS TEACHERS Meanwhile, teachers, most of whom reside on the campus, held a parallel protest and demanded cancellation of the FIR. Students blocked the entry of the teachers and staff members from the rear Ram Tirath Road side.

The teachers, then, gave an ultimatum to the students to end their protest or face a massive demonstration against them on Monday. KCGC chief Satyajit Majithia appealed to the district administration to stop being mute spectators to the whole scene and restore normal academic life at the college.

PROBE ON

The special investigation team formed by the police started the probe on Saturday. It recorded the statement of students. Khalsa College Governing Council also formed a four-member fact-finding committee, which will submit a report in a week.