Students level charges against college

Nagpur: Students of Samarth Mahavidyala from Lakhni in Bhandara district have levelled serious allegations against the college authorities of illegally collecting money for admissions, among others. They also alleged that the college has been threatening them of falsely implicating them in criminal cases if they raise their voice.
The students recently met Pro-VC Pramod Yeole in Nagpur and requested him to ensure their safety and put an end to the harassment by the college.Their letter to Pro-VC stated, “The college is taking money to give admissions, levying charges on some or the other pretext and threatening to get us jailed in false cases if we speak against them.”
They further stated that they have also been deprived of basic facilities and development activities in the college. “College hostel should be open for students. The UGC funds for starting a NET/SET guidance centre have been lying unused. The centre must start immediately,” the letter read.
The students further wrote, “Classrooms are being rented out while our lectures are being suspended. The admin officer never provides information but warns of lodging police complaints against us. It seems the college is under the dictatorship of the principal. Our constitutional rights are being violated. This is a crime and a police complaint must be registered against the college.”
Principal Dr Sanjay Poharkar denied the allegations saying the issue is politically motivated. “The college is being run in a constitutional manner,” he assured.
Poharkar said the controversy was created by Alhad Bhandarkar, who wants to gain control of Rashtriya Shikshan Sanstha Lakhni (RSSL) that runs the college.
“Bhandarkar is the grandson of late AP Lakhanikar who was the president of RSSL. After he died in 2014, Bhandarkar illegally got sanction from the charity commissioner to form a new body. But, the charity commissioner’s order was challenged in district court that stayed it. He is still posing as president of RSSL which is open contempt of court.”
On the other hand, Bhandarkar said he is very much the RSSL president and accused Poharkar of misappropriation. “Poharkar has shown on record that he took a loan of 23lakh from the trust while RSSL doesn’t have any money. He also showed transactions in ledger book that he returned 13lakh. He did this to corner UGC and other government grants. Hence we filed an FIR under 420, 408, 409, 468 and 471 of the IPC against Poharkar at Lakhni police station,” Bhandarkar said.
Dismissing the charges, Poharkar said, “Every penny has been accounted for and audits are available for all to see.”