CPIM submits memo to guv to nullify HPU recruitments

SHIMLA: After opposition BJP alleged favouritism in the recruitment of teaching faculty in Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), now Communist party of India (Marxist) has also alleged that the recruitments done in 2011 and 2015 have violated many University Grants Commission (UGC) norms and were done under HPU vice chancellor (VC) ADN Bajpai's chairmanship.
CPIM on Wednesday presented a memorandum to the state governor Acharya Devvrat in which they have sought that all recruitments of 2011 and 2015 should be considered as null and void.The university should be asked to re-advertise and fill up all the vacant teaching posts at the earliest by adhering to the latest UGC Guidelines. As a one-time settlement, a commission should be constituted to appoint these teachers and the VC should be kept out of the entire process.
However, Bajpai denied the allegations and said that the matter of recruitments was pending with high court, which would decide whether he was guilty or not, and not the groups who were making false allegations. "All recruitments have been done and will be done as per the ordinance of university," he added.
CPIM leader and Shimla deputy mayor Tikender Singh Panwar alleged that HPU had conducted interviews in July 2015 for the teaching posts against the advertisement in year 2014 in which total 227 vacancies - 38 for professor, 68 for associate professor and 121 posts for assistant professor were released. Moreover, a clause that there should be a research experience of five years for the post of assistant professor in the department of life long learning and economics was inserted. For psychology and sociology, no such experience was required. "So the whole exercise was to adjust a 'suitable candidate'," he said.
He also alleged that of the five candidates, who were interviewed for the post of assistant professor in economics, only one had the research experience. The university framed the rules to accommodate a special candidate and also interviewed candidates who did not have the required experience. Panwar alleged that a post of assistant professor was shifted from public administration in the same advertisement to accommodate a 'suitable candidate' for the department of visual arts.
"In 2010-11 also, some of the selected candidates had fake publications and books, and the screening and selection committees considered those without any verification while the meritorious candidates were not even called for the interview. Some did not have any research experience and some had not even qualified NET, which is mandatory," Panwar alleged.
CPIM has also alleged that apart from the recruitment for assistant professor posts, there were numerous instances where promotions had been awarded to candidates, who were not eligible either on the basis of service length or not fulfilling the minimum academic performance index (API) score.