The Bharatiya Bikash Parishad (BBP) submitted a memorandum to State Governor and Chancellor of Khallikote University (KU) Prof Ganeshi Lal demanding immediate reinstatement of KU’s 103 employees who were illegally removed from their job.

The university has removed 53 guest faculties (appointed between 2016 and 2019) on 30.4.2022 without any notice and simply through telephonic information. The teachers were surprisingly informed over telephone on 30.4.22 not to come to their duties from May 1, 2022 which is completely dictatorial, inhuman, and unjust, said the State president of Parishad Surendra Panigrahi in a Press release here.

Even though the Secretary of Odisha Higher Education Department vide its notification No.16200 dated 20.4.22; No. 12109 dated 12.06.2019; No.1053 dated 7.1.2021; No.5273 dated 3.2.2021; and No. 29466 dated 28.7.2021 had stressed the need of extending the tenure of these guest faculties up to 31.08.2022 in order to ensure more students presence in the class, the VC has violated the orders and illegally retrenched the guest faculties to satisfy his vested interest, the Parishad alleged.

The Parishad has further claimed that, the State Government had also instructed to conduct interview in July-August this year for appointment of teachers for the new academic session 2022-2024 so that the selected faculty members can join their duties on 1.10.2022, but the VC has deliberately ignored the orders in this regard.

On the contrary, the university again on 8.5.2022 informed some contractual faculty members over telephone to join their respective duties on 9.5.2022 which unfolds the dictatorial attitude of the VC, the Parishad said.

Similarly, the university VC has also removed its 50 non-teaching employees on 31.3.2022 without any notice or show cause.  The Parishad in its memorandum demanded immediate removal of the VC and reinstatement of all the 53 guest faculties and 50 non-teaching staff forthwith, failing which it warned of launching agitation.