Amid worsening administrative anarchy, the University of Kashmir turned into a full spectacle of academic shame on Friday when two senior professors resorted to fist fighting in front of students, leading to police complaints in the matter.
Sources told Kashmir News Trust that two professors, both heading two departments in the social sciences faculty at present, resorted to hurling abuses at each other while the viva of a research scholar was about to be conducted under their supervision. One of the HODs is also the Dean of the Faculty.
The exchange of nasty abuses soon turned into a fistfight when an outsider, allegedly nephew of one HOD allegedly started assaulting the Dean, tearing his clothes to pieces.
“The outsider youth, who is reportedly a doctor by profession, started beating the Dean at the behest of his uncle following an exchange of abuse between the two,” the sources said.
Soon, the sources said, the Dean retaliated and started hurling choicest abuses at the HOD and his nephew and the scene soon reached a high degree of fistfight which was witnessed by scores of students and research scholars.
Many faculty members and students also started to intervene in a bid to stop the fight while some bystanders called the University’s Proctorial staff who took the outsider man into their custody.
“It was really shameful to see University teachers resorting to such shameful behavior inside the campus and in front of their students. Many girl students kept their heads down in shame after listening to an exchange of nasty abuses,” said a student who witnessed the whole episode.
The University Proctor’s office in the meantime received formal complaint of assault by the Dean for urgent action in the matter, the sources said.
Sources said on directions of higher-ups the Proctor office forwarded the complaint to the local police (police station Nigeen) for investigation while also handing over the outsider youth who allegedly assaulted the Dean to the local police.
The fresh episode comes amid growing administrative anarchy in the University where disorder is worsening by the day. A few days ago a video of KU’s nonteaching employees fighting with each other inside the administration block went viral on social media, even as the University authorities looked the other way in initiating any action in the matter.
It is alleged by many university insiders that the administration was fuelling this unrest at a time when the term of VC and term of Registrar have come to an end and the Chancellor’s office has already initiated the process to appoint the new VC for Kashmir University.
“The University authorities have not taken any action in the matter. They seem to be complicit in all these shameful episodes,” the insiders said.
Meanwhile, sources told KNT that police station Nigeen has lodged an FIR on behalf of a complaint by Dean in Friday’s episode while registering a counter FIR in the matter on the complaint of the HOD.
Sources said the university officials and local police authorities tried their best to avert the FIR situation to save the image of the University which has taken a huge hit during the present regime owing to allegations of administrative malfunctioning and irregularities. However, the Dean did not make a compromise in the matter, the sources said.
When contacted, Chief Proctor Kashmir University Prof Imtiyaz Ahmad said that a roadsider assaulted a Professor and they registered a police case against him. “I will give you the number of our PRO, you please talk to him about the incident,” he said but didn’t forward the number.
When contacted, SHO Police Station Nigeen told KNT that they received two complaints of non-cognizable nature from both parties. “We will approach the court in this regard,” he said. (KNT)