By Manzar Bilal, TwoCircles.net,
Patna: Fed up with lawless situation at university and criminal behavior of students, Syed I Ahson Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Patna University (PU) has resigned from his post yesterday. He has submitted his resignation to VC Shyam Lal to forward it to the university’s chancellor and governor of Bihar Mr. Devanand Konwar, governor of Bihar.
The resignation came after a group of students pelted stones on the office of S I Ahson while he was holding a meeting with some senior teachers in his chamber on Saturday evening.
Talking to TwoCircles.net on phone he said: “In Bihar generally and at Patna University particularly the situation of higher education is very bad. Law and order has broken down at the university, it is a situation of anarchy and the university has lost control on the students.”
“I was busy in meeting with four professors then a group of some students gathered before my office and started stone-pelting which broke window’s glasses. I could escape only after police forces reached there. Today, students threw stones on the pro-VC and other senior teachers one day they might throw bombs on them. I am very much aggrieved with the unruly behavior of students and this has disturbed me mentally” he told.
He said that this was not first time but there is always problems one after another from the first day he assumed the office. “Since I took charge on 4th February 2008 I saw lawlessness some time agitation from students and some other time from teachers and workers even during the examination. I always tried to control the situation but now enough is enough” he added.
“Being from Bihar I came here with the motto to do something better for my state but during these two years I found very difficult to work in such circumstances which I have never seen at the universities I worked earlier. As situation is getting worse, I submitted my resignation” he said.
He also condemned differences between governor and state government about policy of higher education in the state. “The differences between state government and governor have always been creating problems for officials of the universities especially VCs and Pro-VCs as they have to pay prices for the mistakes they never commit. Some time government stops their salaries and some time governor seizes their powers. Last year my salary along with others was stopped by government because it suspected that we attended a meeting with the chancellor which was against policy of state government. Is it not violation of law?” he said.
Asked if chancellor would not accept his resignation will he resume office? “Now I can not say any thing about it because it depends on situation. Though I have decided not to join the office and shift to Delhi but if chancellor will put pressure I will think about it but with conditions.”
Syed I Ahson joined as Pro-VC of PU on February 4, 2008 and is lone Muslim Pro-VC in the state. He has a long journey in the field of education. Before assuming charge as pro-VC of PU, he served at various universities in India as well as abroad including Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom. He is the founder Head of the Department of Computer Science at Jamia Millia University
He is author of several books, a number of his research papers have been presented at national and international conferences and many articles have been published in different journals.