Police burst tear gas to disperse PGSU students

Kohima, Mar 13 (UNI) Police today burst a few rounds of tear gas shells to control an irate mob of Post Graduate Students' Union (PGSU) members of Nagaland University, who went on rampage burning furnitures and breaking window panes.

Although district officials could not be contacted, president of the Nagaland University Teachers' Association (NUTA) Ms Rosemary Dzuvichu, who is also vice-president of the Federation of Central University Teachers Association (FEDCUTA) told newspersons that the students got angry after hearing that the officials of the University Grants Commission had neglected their university and supported the vice-chancellor of Nagaland University Prof G D Sharma, who had submitted his resignation on February 28 last.

The NUTA and the PGSU were demanding the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to accept Mr Sharma's resignation.

The NUTA officials said that a delegation visited Delhi and met the MHRD officials and submitted various documents of mismanagement of funds by the vice-chancellor and assured to look into the matter.

The officials said following the pressure of NUTA, a fact finding UGC team visited NU last year, who had submitted a report in support of the vice-chancellor. ''Certainly it was a money game of Prof Sharma,''they alleged. They said Prof Sharma had informed the PGSU that the UGC had granted Rs seven crore for establishment of one engineering college in the state in April last. On inquiry, the UGC officials informed NUTA that the amount was sanctioned in 2004 but so far nothing had been done to establish the engineering college and the amount was being kept in a bank of Kohima in a fixed deposit account. ''He was getting an interest of over Rs 31 lakh during the last three years'', the officials alleged.

Moreover, the UGC also sanctioned Rs 50 lakhs to open one women study centre (wsc) in NU. But nothing had been done so far and no account of the grant was received.

They also informed they had approached the Comptroller and Auditor General(CAG), who had instructed the Accountant General of Nagaland to audit the accounts. But they could do any audit due to the want of relevant documents, the officials alleged.

UNI