Post-PU Senate decision on honorary degree,Bambah agrees to accept it

Talking to Newsline,Bambah,who was not present in the House while the agenda was being discussed,said,“I had already placed my request in the Syndicate,but,in view of the overwhelming kindness and affection of all the members of the Senate,I accepted the honour.” The eminent mathematician was welcomed with a thunderous applause when he entered the House later.

When the agenda came up for discussion in the Senate on Sunday,the V-C informed the House about Bambah’s decision,and said that he had tried to convince him twice after the Syndicate meeting,but Bambah stuck to his ground. The agenda was also placed on top of the list.

However,refusing to change their stance,all the members of the Senate unanimously decided that the honorary degree be conferred upon Bambah,who had always spread goodwill in the varsity.

The members said the degree was not being conferred upon him because he was a Senate member,but because he was an eminent mathematician.

Some members for action against teacher,others want proper probe

CHANDIGARH: The recent issue of the suicide by a BDS student rocked the Panjab University Senate house on Sunday when some of the members demanded action against the teacher who was named by the victim in her suicide note. Others,however,stated that action should not be initiated without a proper investigation.

The body of Aunkurita Tripathi,a second year student of Dr Harvansh Singh Judge Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital,Sector 25,was found hanging from a curtain rod at her Sector-32 residence on November 29. The victim had named one of the professors of the department,Dr Savita Prashar,in her suicide note.

Condoling the death of the student in the zero hour,senator Varinder Gill along with a few other members of the House demanded action against the accused teacher. He said that there were cases when teachers tended to target students. “The deceased had an exceptionally good academic record in her 12th standard,” he added.

Citing the example of some of the former student leaders,Gill said,“There have been various instances in the past when teachers tried to interfere with the normal marking system of the students. Not only this,some of the teachers also influence the external examiner who come from outside to evaluate the students in practicals.”

However,some of the members highlighted that action could not be taken against the teacher without properly investigating the case.

Expressing concern over the issue,Vice-Chancellor Arun Kumar Grover took the opportunity to inform the House about the committee constituted by the varsity to look into the matter.

Discussing the issue,president of the Panjab University Teachers’ Union (PUTA) Dr Devinder Singh said that he had met the parents of the deceased who had also expressed ignorance as to why she had named the teacher. “The teacher cannot be punished without a proper investigation. The need of the hour is to have counsellors at all the departments so that students can have somebody to confide in when they encounter certain problems.”

One of the members said,“Irrespective of the alleged role of the teacher,a dying statement cannot be taken lightly,as the victim had named the teacher in the suicide note.”