Chennai: The raging controversy at the State government-run Periyar University in Salem took a curious turn on Thursday as Governor R N Ravi paid a visit to the campus, triggering a protest by a students’ union, even as the police conducted raids at six places as part of their investigations in the slew of cases filed against the Vice Chancellor R Jaganathan.
Jaganathan, who is out on bail following his arrest on December 26, welcomed the Governor by presenting him a bouquet, despite the students’ union threatening to hold a protest if he stepped into the campus. The students were anyway removed from the spot by the police.
Police have filed cases against Jaganathan under the Prevention of SC/ST Atrocities Act, besides other charges like cheating, criminal conspiracy. He has been accused of starting a private company called Periyar University Technology Entrepreneurship and Research (PUTER) Foundation without the approval of the government.
Even as the police launched the investigation against the Vice Chancellor by summoning some professors connected with PUTER, the legal advisor of the Periyar University Employees’ Union I Elango filed a complaint under the SC/ST Act, leading to the arrest and subsequent bail.
However, the controversy took a political colour as BJP State President K Annamalai alleged that Jaganathan was arrested because he refused to entertain a request from the Minister of Higher Education on the appointment of a registrar for the university, a post lying vacant for some time.
Annamalai even gave a press conference against the arrest of the Vice Chancellor and the Governor, who is also the Chancellor of the university, did not take any action following the arrest. So when the Governor planned to visit the university and review the situation there, the students threatened to hold a protest.
Apart from the students' protest, the campus also witnessed police teams landing there to hold investigations, causing a flutter ahead of the Governor’s visit.
Jaganathan was arrested on the basis of a complaint filed by the employees’ union that he and three others had invested Rs one lakh each and registered the company under the Company’s Act in September.
However, Annamalai had claimed that PUTER was a non-profit firm registered under Section 8 of Companies Act. But the State police is continuing with its investigation into the charge, besides opening the case under the SC/ST Act.
So with the State government out to penalize the Vice Chancellor, the Governor and the State BJP backed him with Annamalai even saying that he would be writing to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah about the arrest of Jaganathan for disobeying the government on the appointment of registrar.
