University students protest outside V-C’s office and submit representation; faculty members start signature campaign

The resignation of the chairman of University Business School (UBS), Panjab University (PU), Prof Dinesh Gupta, has brought the faculty members, non-teaching staff and students together. Standing for the cause of bringing Prof Gupta back to the department, UBS students have protested outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office and submitted a representation while faculty members have initiated a signature campaign.

The UBS students, who were visibly disappointed by Prof Gupta’s resignation, protested outside the V-C’s office today. In his absence, Dean Students’ Welfare (DSW) Prof Naval Kishore assured them that Prof Gupta’s resignation had not been accepted and that the authorities would pursue the matter of bringing him back.

“The entire incident has lowered the morale of students. We have asked the authorities why they allowed the situation to reach such a state. This reflects the fact that they hardly care for the faculty members. We have demanded Prof Gupta’s re-installation,” said MBA second semester student Gaurav Thapar.

Other students too believe that it is now the University authorities’ responsibility to bring him back. “The authorities should accept that the issue was not handled in an effective manner. As the dignity of Prof Gupta has been hurt, the authorities should ensure that he is brought back with due respect,” said Sumit Goklaney and Sakshi Thakur, second semester students of MCom (e-commerce).

The students complained that the university authorities had taken into account the complaints of 25 girls and not the support of the remaining 300 students of the department. The matter was blown out of proportion due to their ineffectiveness, felt the angry students.

The representation that they submitted to the V-C stated, “It is shameful that while he was representing Panjab University at global platforms, such unconstrained words were being said and written about him back home.... It would be a big blow to the department as well as to the teaching fraternity to let go of one of its most valuable faculty members.”

After meeting the DSW, the students went to Prof Dinesh Gupta’s residence and requested him to join the department. “I went to the department to leave them and then returned to my place. My stand on my resignation stands as it is,” insisted Prof Gupta.

Simultaneously, the faculty members started a signature campaign for Prof Gupta. “We, the following teachers, express our support to you in this hour of crisis. It seems that the University authorities refuse to learn lessons from the flak they received on mismanaging the crisis at the Dental Institute and Hospitable recently. Today, you are pinned down; tomorrow it could be the turn of someone else. The protocols of academics prevent teachers from coming to the streets but if the vilification and victimisation of teachers continues, the University would become a battleground of all sorts. Your resignation is a wake-up call to the entire community and we reiterate that in no way will we let your resignation be accepted by the authorities. It is time that those who are sitting at the helm of affairs self-reflect and look beyond their feudal mind sets” stated the letter addressed to Prof Gupta and signed by several faculty members.

The authorities are maintaining their stand that the resignation has been declined and efforts are on to bring Prof Gupta back.