Once one of the countrys most promising post-independence varsities, Bangalore University, (BU, estb.1964) whose techno-savvy graduates powered the spectacular growth of Indias globally respected IT industry, is in a tailspin. Since the early 1990s when a new genre of peasant leaders began calling the shots in the Vidhan Soudha, Bangalore — the ornate epicentre of political power in the southern state of Karnataka (pop.57 million) — the varsitys descent into nihilistic politics has increasingly begun to mirror the fractious caste-driven political wrangling in Vidhan Soudha.Right now Bangalore University, which has 473 affiliated colleges with an aggregate enrolment of 700,000 students, is split down the middle following a bitter row between vice chancellor Dr. N. Prabhu Dev and registrars M.G. Krishnan and V.G. Talwar. On April 2, Krishnan and Talwar submitted a memorandum to Karnataka governor H.R. Bhardwaj, chancellor of all universities in the state, accusing Prabhu Dev of splurging public money to fund his lavish life style, and nepotism in appointment of an unstatutory core committee. Four files with the records of his (Dr. Prabhu Devs) expenses have disappeared mysteriously from our cabin. These files pertained to two bills amounting to Rs.2.84 lakh and Rs.1 lakh drawn for the vice chancellors daily expenses, Talwar, regis-trar (evaluation), told media persons in Bangalore. It has been a painful, sad and humiliating experience since being appointed registrar. The provocation and humiliation at the hands of the VC is unbearable, added Krishnan. This memorandum of the registrars to Bhardwaj follows recent orders of Prabhu Dev curtailing their powers. A week earlier on May 29, the VCs office had ordered constitution of a 10-member committee to take exam-related decisions. Simultaneously the VC ordered transfer of administrative powers to deputy registrars in case the registrars fail to obey. Unfortunately for the BU registrars, their well-calculated move to go public and report Prabhu Devs misdemean-ours to the governor, backfired. On April 3, the governor/chancellor ordered an inquiry into complaints made against the two registrars, giving a clean chit to the vice chancellor. Bhardwaj appointed Justice I.P. Vashisht, a retired judge of the Allahabad high court, to probe allega-tions against the registrars and submit a report within the next two months. The on-off confrontation between Prabhu Dev and Krishan plus Talwar can be traced back to November last year when the vice chancellor refused to allow the varsitys newly-appointed registrars to assume office on the sprawling 1,100-acre university campus. The registrars, who had been appointed by order of the Karnataka state governments higher education ministry dated November 13, were asked to desist from assuming charge until the VCs office received official communi-cation from the chief ministers office. This informal stay order angered a large section of BU students who alleged that the vice chancellor was reluctant to accept the registrars appointment because of caste considerations. Eventually after three days of student and faculty protests, rumour-mongering and uncertainty, on November 19 Krishnan and Talwar assumed charge as registrars with the vice chancellor promising to work together for the betterment…
