Cops on campus, now a varsity fad

Fifteen policemen in a week are deployed to provide protection to BU officials

On an average in a week, 15 policemen are deputed to provide security for Bangalore University officials.

The trend began with the former vice chancellor Prabhu Dev seeking police cover every time he stepped on Jnanabharathi Campus, varsity officials have been seeking police protection when they are on campus for meetings.

It is not just for Syndicate or Academic Council meetings. Police are also being deployed for other meetings that members of these bodies hold on campus.
A inspector and sub-inspector are deployed along with their subordinates, apart from regular beat police who monitor the area.

The unprecedented trend has put the police in a fix. Many syndicate members believe some of their counterparts have taken the fear psychosis overboard.
When Prabhu Dev was the vice chancellor, he had requested police security. His reason being there were many opposing him at various levels and had threatened him on several occasions.

According to Syndicate member Narayanaswamy, even professors face such situations.

“When sensitive issues are being discussed at meetings some of us have been threatened by vested interests.

Top officials are hand in glove with private college managements. Even students taking sides with specific groups threaten professors on campus,” he claimed.
Differing with him, another syndicate member, Manasa Nagabhushanam, said, while there are genuine cases of threat, others have just hyped it.

“In my two years here I have faced no such problems. However, when BEd Task Force report recommending disaffiliation for colleges with irregularities was submitted, there were threats from college lobbyists. Police were deployed to check intruders,” she said.

“If the university followed ethical practises, there would have been no need for us to go to the police,” said Academic Council member Karan Kumar who headed the BEd Task Force and was subject to life threats. Members opined that it would be preferable for the university to appoint private security personnel since except for few security personnel manning the varsity gates, there is no other measure to ensure safety.  

DCP (Central) Ravikanthe Gowda, an engineering graduate, who earlier was a lecturer at University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, told Deccan Herald that the varsity’s plight saddened him.

“While it is our duty to provide protection, however, I feel bad that an educational institution has to deploy police personnel to conduct classes or meetings.”

BU VC search committee

Former vice chancellor of Dharwad University S K Saidapur has been appointed member of the search committee for selecting the vice chancellor to Bangalore University.

The post of vice chancellor fell vacant following the resignation of Prabhu Dev on October 13 to take charge as the chairperson of the Karnataka Health Systems Commission.

The search committee, set up to facilitate a fair appointment process, comprises a member each from the university Syndicate, the government, the University Grants Commission and the governor.

On October 31, the University Syndicate named R S Deshpande, director of ISEC, as their nominee for the search committee. S K Saidapur is the State government’s nominee. The governor and the UGC are yet to finalise their nominees.