Harassment issue thrusts Kane into a corner

So much so that the V-C8217;s advisors 8212; all State government nominees with RSS backgrounds 8212; now mince no words in doubting Kane8217;s ability to keep the university together. His critics, including those with Congress moorings, couldn8217;t have asked for a better opportunity. And, ironically, virtually everyone agrees with them.

Kane, however, refuses to believe he8217;s done anything wrong. Asked how he could suspend a teacher within 12 hours of appointing a committee to investigate the charges against him, he said, 8220;I chose the lesser evil lest the students, who were accompanied by representatives of various women8217;s organisations, create a law-and-order situation8221;.

Then why did he revoke it? Kane shrugged in response: 8220;The Senate wanted it8221;.

Asked if the vacillation did not expose his vulnerability, Kane said, 8220;Both decisions were correct at their particular time.8221; He refused to buy the theory that his actions had blotted either his or the university8217;s image, reiterating, 8220;Using force 8212; which would have become necessary if the students8217; demand was turned down 8212; would have worsened things. The exams, which began on Monday, could also have been affected8221;.

That he stands alone in his belief is apparent from what Pragnesh Shah 8212; a State government nominee in the Syndicate 8212; had to say. 8220;The students would have settled for either the suspension or the V-C8217;s resignation. Kane could have resigned and stood by his ethics, instead of worrying about the damage to the office furniture8221;.

Tellingly, Shah now denies advising Kane in any way. Shireesh Kulkarni, another of Kane8217;s 8220;advisers8221; who now denies any association with him, said, 8220;Such incidents only reflect the V-C8217;s indecisiveness8221;.

Baroda University Teachers8217; Association president A Peppala echoed Shah by saying, 8220;It was unfair of the V-C to make a scapegoat of a teacher just to protect the university building. It is not important whether the teacher was at fault or the girl, what is germane is the denial of justice. A wrong precedent has been set8221;.

When Kane is asked if the incident could not be interpreted as his vulnerability to pressure tactics, Kane, however, is firm. 8220;I did not succumb to any pressure. I am honest; I will try to do my best in every situation.8221; He dismissed the charge that the decision, and then the turnaround, has set any precedent.

The V-C denied that he had a coterie of advisers, maintaining that he took his own decisions. When it was pointed out that he had neither the pro-vice-chancellor nor the registrar was advising him, as should have been the case, he said, 8220;I don8217;t have a full-time registrar and have to make do with an in-charge; as for the PVC, I have no problems8221;.

Many in the teaching community feel Kane is treating the university like the corporate sector, which abides by a strict hierarchy in decision-making. 8220;But functioning at the university means consulting everyone, including students and the teaching community,8221; said Nikhil Desai, warning that once the students realised the impact of mob pressure, they could play the same card again and again.