BHOPAL: Soon after some members of the general council of Makhanlal Chaturvedi University of Journalism took exception to ‘ arbitrary’ appointments in the university, without its sanction, managing committee of the university decided to appoint senior journalist Jagdish Upasane as advisor to the department of journalism on a year’s contract at a monthly remuneration of rupees one lakh. Like most of the other appointees in the university during vice- chancellor Prof BS Kuthiala’s stint, Upasane is supposed to be close to the Rashtrita Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS).
During general council meeting on Tuesday, some members particularly leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Ajay Singh, had taken strong exception to the appointments without the sanction of the general council (the apex governing body of the university) and said the university was being converted into an RSS nursery. He had also demanded constitution of a review committee to look into all the appointments made in the university in the recent past.
But soon after the general council meeting, when the university’s managing committee met, it approved the proposal to appoint Upasane on a year’s contract at a monthly remuneration of rupees one lakh. Since he could not have been appointed a professor, for technical reasons, he has been designated advisor to the department of journalism in the university.
Besides, the managing committee also decided to seek services of Political Science professor in Rani Durgavati University, Jabalpur Dr Ramdev Bhardwaj on deputation. Dr Bhardwaj, who is the younger brother of an RSS leader in Jabalpur, was sought to be appointed rector in the university, but the proposal was turned down more than once, as only a person with more than 20 years of experience in administration could be appointed to the post according to the Act governing the affairs of the university.
The managing committee also extended services of Deepak Sharma, Prof Kuthiala’s all-powerful aide on the university premises, by a year as director of Associate Studies Institute (ASI). He was brought to the university from polytechnic, Gwalior, for two years. With the appointment of Upasane, the long list of RSS workers and sympathisers in the university has increased further.
Nand Kushore Trikha, Ashok Tandon, Aditya Jain, Ramji Tripathi, Ashish Joshi, Rinky Jain and her husband Aditya Jain, Saurav Malviya are some other persons with RSS- BJP background, who have got appointment in the university during Prof Kuthiala’s tenure. Prof Kuthiala confirmed that decisions to get the services of Jagdish Upasane, Prof Bhardwaj and extension of the period of Deepak Sharma’s deputation were taken at the meeting of managing committee on Tuesday.
हिंदुस्तान टाइम्स, भोपाल में 19 जनवरी को प्रकाशित खबर
