New panel to probe AU students’ union president’s admission

MOVE VC appoints five-member panel to look into the allegation of irregularities

ALLAHABAD: The controversy over a probe into the admission of Allahabad University Students’ Union (AUSU) president Richa Singh has taken a new turn. In the latest move, Allahabad University (AU) vice chancellor RL Hangloo has appointed a fresh five-member panel to look into the allegation of irregularities in the admission of Singh in a DPhil course. Singh had earlier alleged that she was being targeted for having opposed an invitation to firebrand BJP MP Yogi Adityanath to the university recently.

The vice chancellor took the decision to form the panel after returning to the campus from leave and going through the report of dean (arts) A Satyanarayan who was asked to look into the matter by Hangloo earlier.

The larger probe panel will have senior professor of the philosophy department Jata Shankar as the chairman. The other members comprise dean students’ welfare Harsh Kumar, Shanti Sundaram of the biotechnology department, Dhananjay Yadav of the education department and Ashwajeet Chaudhary of the geography department (all professors).

A controversy had erupted over the admission granted to AUSU president Richa Singh after two years as a research scholar on the central varsity campus.

Recently, a complaint was made to the VC over the admis- sion granted to Richa Singh by a student leader who lost last year’s students’ elections for the top post to her. Thereafter, the vice chancellor ordered an inquiry by dean (arts) A Satyanarayan.

The probe found that reservation norms were not properly followed in granting admissions at the AU’s centre for globalisation and development studies. The report forwarded to vice chancellor RL Hangloo notes that for two seats, four students had appeared for the interview held on March 27, 2014. Richa Singh and Shashank Kumar Singh were granted admission.

In his report submitted on March 2, the dean has noted that both the candidates admitted in the DPhil course were of the general category. “Roster principle was applied in the admission process whereas it is meant only for promotion and direct recruitment. The roster system is not applicable in admissions,” the report said.

The probe report said that even if there are only two seats, reservation has to be observed.

The university’s public relations officer KN Uttam said the five-member panel would look into all aspects of the admission granted to Rocha Singh in the DPhil programme. The members will also obtained feedback from the head of centre for globalization and development studies VP Singh who has denied any anomaly in Richa Singh’s admission and made clear that the admissions were granted only on the basis of legal opinion taken by the university.