VNSGU’s lacklustre approach on girls’ plaint flayed

SURAT: The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has flayed the Veer Narmad South Gujarat University (VNSGU) authorities for adopting a lacklustre approach in inquiring into the allegations that a lecturer had passed lewd comments on the members of a women sports team who also had made them to do sit-ups as punishment.
ABVP in a memorandum to the governor, who is also the VNSGU chancellor, alleged that the university vice-chancellor Dakshesh Thakar has appointed a four-member committee with the intention to delay the inquiry.
In the memorandum, ABVP said the vice-chancellor should call an urgent meeting of the syndicate to discuss the case. The inquiry should be carried out only after the approval of the syndicate. The ABVP said such committees formed by the vice-chancellor fail to reach any conclusion.
“A committee formed haphazardly by the vice-chancellor after sitting over the issue for over a month shows that there is something wrong. The issue is being investigated only after the media took it up. The written complaint has been with the VNSGU since January 31 while verbal complaints were made much before that,” said Kalpesh Rawal, incharge of the ABVP affairs in south Gujarat.
University authorities are under the scanner for their attempts to cover up the issue of punishment of sit-ups awarded to the girls against whom lewd comments were also passed. The university sports department was informed by the members of the girls’ rifle shooting team soon after they returned from a tour on January 8. However, nothing was done until the issue was raised by TOI on January 19 and the girls made a written complaint on January 31.
VNSGU vice-chancellor formed a committee on Friday and asked it to submit a report in 10 days. “The inquiry is being done by the four-member committee. We will take action on receiving the report,” said vice-chancellor Dakshesh Thakar.
The girls’ rifle shooting team of the university had gone to Patiala to participate in a competition. Amit Patel, lecturer of physical training at the Evening Commerce College, was the team manager. He made the girls to do sit-ups on January 8 on a road at the entry gate of Punjabi University for arriving 15 minutes late. The girls also alleged in their complaint that Patel had passed lewd comments against them.