Mangaluru college in-charge principal suspended over student protest

Mangaluru: The in-charge Principal of Government First Grade Women’s College, Vedashree Nitya, has been suspended for alleged dereliction of duty following a student protest and road blockade on February 16.

The suspension order was issued on February 26 by the Under Secretary to the Government, Department of Higher Education.

Vedashree Nidya, who is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics, had reportedly submitted a memorandum to the local MLA seeking a new college building. In her statement, she said that on February 16, students staged a protest after complaining of suffocating conditions in classrooms, allegedly caused by ongoing construction work of a dialysis centre nearby.

However, the Puttur Town Police Inspector, in a report, stated that at around 9.30 am on February 16, students of the college blocked a public road without prior permission, disrupting law and order. The report further noted that Principal Vedashree Nidya and faculty member Ivan Francis Lobo were present at the scene, and that the department had received information suggesting they may have instigated the protest.

In a separate communication, the MLA of Puttur Assembly constituency and President of the College Development Committee alleged that the in-charge Principal had failed to bring students’ health concerns regarding the dialysis centre construction to the notice of the MLA or the concerned departments. Instead, it was claimed that students were misinformed and encouraged to protest against the government and the department.

The department observed that if any untoward incident had occurred during the protest, the responsibility would have rested entirely on the Principal and college staff. It also noted that there was no record of students formally submitting their grievances to the Principal after classes commenced, nor any documented meeting with the College Development Committee to address academic or administrative concerns.

Authorities stated that the Principal had failed to maintain the confidence of the MLA and the College Development Committee in matters concerning the development of the institution.

Based on reports from the Regional Joint Director of Collegiate Education, the police, and the MLA, the department found prima facie evidence of negligence in handling the situation and failing to prevent the protest. The report had stated that the Principal had not adequately discharged her academic and administrative responsibilities.

Accordingly, disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against Vedashree under the Karnataka Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1957. Pending departmental inquiry and considering the seriousness of the case, the government has placed her under suspension under Rule 10 of the said rules, the order stated.