Bengal Governor Appoints Interim Vice-Chancellor For Another University Amidst Controversy

Amidst ongoing controversy, West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose has again appointed an interim Vice-Chancellor for another state-run university.

Kolkata: West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose has once again appointed an interim Vice-Chancellor for another state-run university, further fueling controversy over his decision to fill officials vacancies in universities that have been without heads for months. Previously, Bose had appointed acting Vice-Chancellors for seven universities, including prestigious institutions like Presidency University, MAKAUT, and Burdwan University. On Tuesday night, the governor announced the appointment of Professor Kajal De as the interim Vice-Chancellor of the newly established Kanyashree University, as reported by PTI.

This announcement followed closely on the heels of a scathing critique by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during a Teachers' Day event. She accused the governor of unwarranted interference in the state's education system and even threatened to stage a sit-in protest outside Raj Bhavan if Bose persisted in such actions.

"Hon'ble Chancellor today appointed Prof Kajal De Vice-Chancellor (officiating) of Kanyashree University, West Bengal," the Raj Bhavan said in a statement.

De was discharging her duties as the interim VC of Diamond Harbour Women's University since March after being appointed by Bose. She was a professor of mathematics at Netaji Subhas Open University. Sources said that interim vice-chancellors of eight other universities have also been finalised and appointment letters "will be issued soon".

Critiquing Bose for over appointments, Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday made allegations that the governor was handpicking interim Vice-Chancellors based on his personal preferences while disregarding the recommendations put forth by the state-appointed search committee.

Noting that Vice-Chancellors should be chosen from the candidates proposed by the five-member search committee, she accused Bose of making appointments unilaterally, without giving due consideration to the suggestions provided by the committee.

She had promised a 'tit-for-tat' action, and threatened to block funding to all universities that followed the governor's directions. "I will see how you give salaries to these vice-chancellors," she had said.

"We will not allow this to continue. If the governor thinks he is bigger than the chief minister, we will fight him back. He should not forget that he is nominated to that post," she said.

"If federalism is interfered with by taking away rights (of the state governments), I will be forced to sit on a dharna outside Raj Bhavan. We will not allow injustice, Bengal knows how to fight back. Wait and watch," Banerjee added. 

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