Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has made it clear that he did not wish to intervene in the ongoing tussle between the vice chancellor and syndicate members of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat).
Rejecting a media report that he had convened a meeting of the warring syndicate members at 3 p.m. in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday, Mr. Chandy told The Hindu over telephone that he had not received any complaints against Dr. J. Letha, vice chancellor of the university.
“Reports that I had asked the syndicate members to meet me at Thiruvananthapuram are baseless. My office will also not give appointments to anybody without consulting me. I already have prior engagements at 3 p.m. in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday,” he said. Stating that he has no plans to convene a meeting of the Cusat syndicate members, Mr. Chandy pointed out that he had clarified his stance with the vice chancellor.
The standoff between the vice chancellor and the syndicate members peaked after the latter walked out of the syndicate meet held on December 19 protesting against Dr. Letha’s decision to install a camera to record the proceedings.
The vice chancellor had agreed to switch off the camera following the protest, but the syndicate members demanded that it should be taken out of the syndicate hall. A section of the syndicate members were also upset over Dr. Letha’s decision not to hold a skill test for the sweeper-cum-cleaner post. The vice chancellor’s position is that the selection committee should convince her about the need to hold the skill test especially in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling against holding such a test.
The syndicate members had also demanded holding the next syndicate meet without installing a camera.
Dr. Letha has proposed two dates that include January 15 and 24 to hold the meet as per the convenience of the syndicate members while reiterating that there is no change in the decision to record the proceedings.
Source : The HIndu