20080708

Lengthy PU probes yield nothing

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030717/cth2.htm
Lengthy PU probes yield ‘nothing’
Sanjeev Singh Bariana
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 16
The fate of a majority of inquiries into ‘scandalous’ issues at Panjab University showed that months and in certain cases years were spent, but the results were ‘negligible’.

The decision on certain issues that ‘rocked’ the campus revealed that either the cases were very poorly drafted or the matter had been blown out of all proportion.

The ‘Fossil fraud’ or ‘Himalayan blunder’ had put the university on the international map of discussions. This involved a senior geology teacher using ‘fake’ fossil records in his study on the Himalayas. The issue rocked the university for a couple of years till the authorities thought it was fit to punish the teacher only by stopping his promotion.

This was followed by the ‘cement scandal’ in early 90s involving 25 cement bags. The bags were being smuggled out of the campus. Following years of probe and fiery House debates, it is learnt that the university had filed the case.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof K.N. Pathak, confirmed that the case had been filed during the tenure of the last VC.

Mr Ashok Goyal, a Fellow, had remarked that the bags had not cost as much the university had spent on the probe over ‘nothing’.

This was followed by another major scandal in the Sports Department. In this scandal the then Finance and Development Officer was accused of misappropriating lakhs. At least four probes were conducted, but nothing significant was found.

Another scandal pertained to a case where the marks of a candidate were increased from zero to 42 after re-evaluation. The candidate wrote Radha Soami on answersheets. The punishment for the teacher under probe was ‘only’ stoppage of his increments. In an interesting development on the front of sagging probes comes a recent recommendation by a committee where the university will put a time bar on the duration of all probes, both academic and professional. This has been done with an aim to streamline the work procedure involved.

The recommendation has been made in response to a resolution of Mr Satya Pal Dang, a Fellow. He had pointed out that a lot of effort was wasted in probes.

A senior Fellow pointed out that the fate of several probes was a telling comment over the division in the university governing body on the basis of group inclinations. In majority of the cases which gathered too much of heat there emerged equally strong voices in defence.

A research fellow said the entire issue needed a fair re-look and self-assessment and the university would have to take bold decisions to set good examples.

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