Bihar premier Patna University located in the state capital, where both Chancellor's secretariat and department of education function from, is under locks for over a week and all exams have been canceled due to the ongoing indefinite strike by the university employees association in support of their demands. .
Losers are the students who were set to take their semester exams from December 5 when the strike started. But more than the strike, which is not unusual in the election year, what has come as a surprise is that the institutions were put under locks and the university authorities could not get them removed or broken to ensure smooth exams, as college staff or teachers. are not on strike.
The Wednesday's talks between the university authorities and the association leaders at scheduled 2 pm, which was fixed on Tuesday, could not take place, as they did not turn up. The appeal of the university to the employees to return to work on Monday has also remained unheeded. The university had through a communique on December 7 canceled all exams till further orders.
“All the university officials were waiting for the meeting at the scheduled time, but the employees' representatives did not turn up till 4 pm. They have informed the registrar that they will not attend today's meeting,” said Dean, Students' Welfare, Anil Kumar.
On Tuesday, all the principals, heads of departments and university officials held a meeting under the chairmanship of vice chancellor Ajay Kumar Singh to discuss the situation arising due to strike and decided to invite associate leaders again for talks to resolve the issue.
Talking to media persons, the VC Ajay Kumar Singh said that several rounds of talks had been held with the designated committee of the employees's body and there was consensus on several demands, but “for some of the demands having financial implications, it was told to them that a letter has already been written to the state government, as the university could not take a call on them”.
“I took the charge as VC on July 3 and it is unprecedented that within 3-4 months first the students resorted to agitation and now the employees despite taking a number of measures in their interest. In the interest of the students, I have been in touch with the employees union from day one after they went on strike. It is unfortunate that the students have had to suffer due to strike,” the VC added.
Earlier, the students' agitation in support of their demand for pending students' union election and allotment of hostels, which had been closed following unrest, had affected the university. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, who is the chancellor of state universities, had also held a meeting with the university top brass and students' leaders on November 28 at the Raj Bhawan. Expressing displeasure over the continuation of Dean (Students' Welfare) and Proctor beyond their tenure, Raj Bhawan also issued a letter to the VC on November 29 seeking fresh names, making it clear that it be treated as top priority.
Interestingly, while the students are the worst sufferers, the Patna University Students' Union (PUSU), led by the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Paishad (ABVP), which is meant to champion the cause of students, also extended its support to the striking employees through a letter. Later, the ABVP, through a separate letter, also demanded restoration of classes and conduct of exams.
However, the employees' body have kept up their pressure, staging demonstration in all the colleges under Patna University, VC's residence and refuted any outcome of talks with the university administration on December 5-6. “The report prepared by the university was totally different from the agreement reached and it does not have the signature of any leader of the association. It is a fake document meant to mislead and shows the wrong intent of the university,” said the association leaders.
They said that neither the VC was holding talks with them nor were the officials communicating him properly and giving him wrong feedback. “We appeal to the VC to sympathetically consider the demands of the association. The association never wants to keep the university under locks, but we have been forced to do so,” they added.
The main demands of the association include respectable behavior with the employees, pay fixation and backlog arrear payment, one more member to be added to Senate and Syndicate each, housing facility for employees, promotion, allow facilities like advance for vehicle, marriage, medical insurance. etc., resolution of issues related to salary/pension of distance education directorate among others.
