BU forms committees to monitor campus security

Outlay for stepping up vigilance estimated at Rs 3.82 lakh

 Bangalore University has constituted two committees to monitor security measures on the Jnanabharathi campus in the wake of an alleged gang rape of the student of the National Law School.

The Vigilance Advisory Committee headed by the acting Vice Chancellor Prof Rangaswamy will comprise 13 members, including the registrar (administration), finance officer, deans of all departments, a police inspector, the garden department in-charge among others.

The outlay for stepping up security measures on the campus has been estimated at Rs 3.82 lakh. The varsity had earlier announced that as many as 100 CCTV cameras will be installed on the campus to beef up vigilance. Another committee comprising eight members of the Syndicate will monitor implementation of the project. The decision to set up the committees was taken in the Syndicate meeting held on Tuesday.

Exam scandal

The Syndicate also set up a committee headed by its member, Zaheeda Mulla, to look into the examination scandal at the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering.

The college, earlier this year, conducted two annual exams for final year students - one to facilitate students appearing for postgraduate entrance exams outside the university and another for those who wanted more time to prepare for the exam. The students were given an option to choose between the examinations.

 However, it was alleged that the arrangement was made to facilitate a few ‘influential’ students who wanted to apply for courses in other universities. The charge against University Special Officer Syed Jamal, of tampering with the examination OMR sheets (2009-10), will also be probed.

The panel, for which Registrar (Evaluation) R K Somashekar will be the convenor, will submit its report in two weeks.

Meanwhile, tempers flared at the meeting when a few members alleged that the file pertaining to search committee for selection of the vice-chancellor had been tampered with by the acting VC and the registrar.

The Syndicate, at its meeting held last week, had decided to appoint R S Deshpande, Director of Institute for Social and Economic Change as the chairperson for the committee.

Members alleged that only two names were suggested to head the committee and that the name of V T Patil, former registrar of Pondicherry University had been added without their consent. Prof Rangaswamy and Registrar Mylarappa admitted that it was a mistake on their part. However, speaking to the media, Mylarappa said the file had not been sent to the government yet.

The Syndicate meeting was surprisingly silent on the controversy related to allowing barred BEd colleges to conduct practical exams. Registrar (Evaluation) R K Somashekar had granted permission for the colleges to conduct exams at a time when the university had decided to put the affiliation of such institutions on hold. Mylarappa said the matter was not brought up in the meeting.