Shimla: Tensions at Dr Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, escalated on Monday, with acting vice-chancellor Harminder Singh Baweja seeking police protection. He alleged that four faculty members tried to force their way into his office.Baweja said the incident occurred at 10:20am when faculty members caused a commotion outside his office and allegedly attempted to break the door open. On the advice of security guards, he locked himself inside and contacted the chief secretary, DGP and Solan SP. Police were subsequently deployed on the campus.The protesting faculty members were reportedly aggrieved over notices issued to them for attending a function chaired by governor Kavinder Gupta at Gan Ki Ser in Solan on Oct 2, a holiday.Ashu Chandel, professor and head of basic sciences and wife of former vice-chancellor Rajeshwar Chandel, also questioned the university administration’s complaint to the Vigilance Bureau, seeking an inquiry into her appointment.In the evening, Baweja issued an order divesting registrar Siddhartha Acharya of his powers and giving D P Sharma, director of extension education, additional charge of registrar with immediate effect.The order stated that Acharya had failed to implement official directions and had issued an order halting action on decisions of the board of management without approval.In the order, Baweja alleged that Chandel, Subhash Sharma, head of social science, Sharma’s wife Ranjana Kumari, assistant professor in the department of SAF, and Nidhish Gautam, scientist in the directorate of extension education, “unlawfully held the undersigned hostage” inside his office, used “unparliamentary, abusive, derogatory language” and issued physical threats.Baweja alleged that when he directed Acharya to intervene and control the situation, the registrar refused and instead “misbehaved with the undersigned using derogatory language”, leading to an apprehension of collusion with the protesting faculty members.
