PAUTA dissolved

The PAUTA had plunged into crisis after its president Dr M S Mahal had resigned a couple of weeks ago. The union led by Mukesh Siag,who is the general secretary of the executive,anointed Dr G S Saroa as the new president. However,the announcement did not gel well with PAUTA vice-president Dr BS Sohal,who claimed that Dr Mahal’s resignation had not been accepted and termed Dr Saroa’s appointment as unconstitutional. PAUTA,which met this morning at the general house meeting,could not go beyond its first agenda of accepting Dr Saroa as the president. The house also witnessed scenes of heated arguments between the PAUTA factions.

Dr Kamaldeep Sangha,who led the rival faction,said,”The members had asked Mukesh Saig to leave. According to the university rules,he is no longer the general secretary of the union. He did not let anyone else speak and thus heated argument broke.” On his group’s objections to Dr Saroa’s appointment as the president,Dr Harmeet Singh Khingra said,”The executive is misinterpreting the PAUTA constitution. We can not accept Dr Saroa as the president. At the end,it was decided that the house be dissolved and fresh elections will be conducted to secure mandate from the faculty.”

Though the media people were not allowed in the meeting,uproars and high pitched voices of enraged faculty members were audible even in the corridors.

Photojournalists shoved off

PAUTA’s general house meeting was marred by arguments amongst faculty members. Some members even did not allow the media to enter the hall. Mukesh Siag,who was conducting the meeting,gesticulated from the dais and asked mediapersons to leave. After a brief argument,mediapersons came out as the commotion continued.However,soon thunderous noises could be heard from the hall and photojournalists rushed in. It was then a few teachers blocked the way of photojournalists,manhandled them and snatched their cameras. The complaint by media was lodged with the area police after which senior faculty members intervened. The matter was resolved after Mukesh Siag apologised in writing on behalf of his group. Parmod Batich,Ashok Singhi and other senior media personnel and heads of various media unions have strongly condemned the episode claiming,”Such kind of behavior is not expected from the teaching community and this attack is not individual but an attack on the independence of the media.”