Ambedkar’s grandson appointed trust chairman

The trust originally had 11 members in the governing body,of whom seven are alive. The remaining posts are currently vacant. Of the seven,four voted in favour of Anandraj.

“They (Krishna Patil and a few other members of the governing body) never allowed us to be part of the governing body as that would have put an end to their profiteering. We will try to make changes in the management,clean the mess and bring in transparency,” Anandraj said.

An official from the college management said,“We have received many complaints against the principal,which range from charging extra fees to fraudulent activities on the college premises. We will investigate such complaints against other college officials who may have assisted the principal,and take action against them.”

Siddharth College,started by late Dr B R Ambedkar in 1946 to spread higher education among Dalits,has been caught in a tussle between two groups wanting to gain control over its governing body.

It started in 2010 when Patil and some members of the governing body removed two others,alleging that they were involved in fraudulent activities. The two members then formed a parallel committee against the governing body.

Last year in June,350 protesters led by Anandraj’s elder brother Prakash Ambedkar of the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) tried to barge into the college,demanding that the trust be handed over to them. The crowd turned violent and police resorted to lathicharge. Subsequently,51 protesters were arrested.

BBM said the society was run by Ambedkar’s son Yashwant till his death in 1977. It alleged that the society was taken over by individuals who were running the college for personal gain. BBM said as per regulations,one person from the Ambedkar family could be a member of the society. The old governing body,however,claimed it was a public trust,not a family trust.