Central University of Haryana embroiled in a row over professor's appointment

The Central University of Haryana was embroiled in a controversy. According to Dr Pawan Kumar, associate professor at Dayal Singh College, Karnal Haryana, Dr Rajeev Kumar Singh, an unqualified candidate, has been appointed as a professor amidst allegations of submission of false documents and Vice-Chancellor Prof Tankeshwar Singh's collusion with Rajeev, writes ETV Bharat's Saurabh Sharma.

New Delhi:Dr Pawan Kumar, associate professor at Dayal Singh College, Karnal Haryana, has been facing the toughest time in his life since 2022 as his dreams of becoming a full-fledged professor at Central University, Haryana, have been shattered due to mismanagement and forged documents (submitted by the selected candidate), who has now bagged the same position that could have been given to Prof Kumar, sources told ETV Bharat.

Dr Rajeev Kumar Singh, the candidate, who has now become a professor in the Department of Political Science, Central University, Haryana, on December 22, 2022, is also under rigorous scrutiny for submitting forged documents, misguiding the whole administrative process, and misusing his position for his own advantage, as per the documents accessed by ETV Bharat.

As per the documents, accessed by this reporter, the advertisement for the post of professor at the same university came out in April 2022. In the very first list, Dr Rajeev Kumar's name was there, along with Dr Pawan's. The interview's date was fixed for October 11, 2022, but it was later postponed. The complaint filed by Dr Pawan to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also highlights that "taking advantage of his position as an assistant registrar (establishment) cum candidate for the said post, Rajeev Kumar Singh removed my name from the list of candidates to be called for an interview when the new date for the interview was announced on December 4, 2022." It is learnt that he has joined as an assistant registrar in Central University on May 27, 2022.

Interestingly, Prof Singh has also been facing serious allegations of submitting forged documents when appointed as a professor at the Central University of Haryana. Dr Pawan has also registered his complaints with the authorities concerned, including the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), Haryana police, the Education Ministry and others.

Prof Singh enrolled in a Post-Doctoral Fellowship (PDF) programme at Banaras Hindu University (2011–2012), and even before the completion of his fellowship, he joined as a guest faculty at Central University, Jharkhand, on July 25, 2012, without any prior permission from ICSSR. As per the PDF rules, a scholar cannot take up any other job during the course of his or her fellowship without permission from ICSSR and quit the job on December 31, 2013.

The complaint filed by Dr Pawan to the ICCSR and others says that "it is a violation of the ICCSR rules and regulations" and urges the authorities to deliver justice. In response to Dr Pawan’s complaint, ICSSR stated that the matter is being examined and appropriate measures will be taken after ascertaining and examining the facts. In the meantime, the ICSSR, vide email dated 09.05.2023, has also directed Dr Rajeev Kumar Singh and the Central University of Haryana not to use the said certificate till the matter is resolved."

As per an RTI reply accessed by this reporter, "Dr. Singh discontinued the ICSSR PDF before even completion, and he neither informed the ICCSR nor the affiliation institution about his tenure at the Central University, Jharkhand." He did his fellowship for only 18 months, but received the letter for a full-fledged fellowship, which is a matter of concern and shows misgovernance and bias, a professor said on the condition of anonymity.

Dr Pawan Kumar lodged a complaint against Dr Rajeev Kumar Singh for allegedly committing fraud in an appointment through a "deep-rooted conspiracy" in the city police station, KarnaL. The sections invoked in the complaint include 409 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating and dishonesty), 467 (forgery), and 120B (criminal conspiracy).

The complaint states that, "It has become evident that the accused person, through an elaborate web of deceit, has caused the ICSSR to issue a bogus certificate for completion of the fellowship for a complete two-year duration, the BHU to issue a bogus certificate on the fellowship received by him from the ICSSR, the CUJ (Central University, Jharkhand) to represent his guest faculty appointment as a contractual one, and the CUH to appoint him based on these false documents. All these documents were issued by the universities concerned and ICSSR based on the requests made by Rajeev rather than on the basis of an investigation of the facts of the case."

Talking to this reporter, Sunil Gupta, Registrar at the Central University, Haryana, said, "The Vice-Chancellor (VC) has constituted a committee. All the authorities, including UGC, ICSSR, Central University of Jharkhand and BHU, have been requested to file their replies on the matter. The screening committee is looking into this matter, and Dr Rajeev Kumar has been given a deadline to reply."

"UGC is the topmost body, and we have requested that they provide their clarification on this stand on whether a PDF fellowship can be used as a direct recruitment and its terms. I assure you that we are looking into this matter, and soon justice will be delivered", he adds. When this reporter contacted Prof Tankeshwar Singh, Vice-Chancellor, Central University, Haryana, he said, "We are looking into the matter, and we have constituted a committee as well."

When asked to comment on the deadline given to Dr Singh and the allegedly forged documents he submitted, the VC seemed reluctant to give a reply and said, "Yes, a deadline has been given to Dr Singh, and he will soon be filing his reply." When contacted Prof Rajiv Kumar, he said, "I have no information on any committee. I am just doing my job. Neither the university has said anything to me nor I have received any complaint from any individual. I've received communication from ICSSR."

On whether he discontinued the PDF fellowship before the completion of its two years, he said "Who told you? False allegations are being being levelled against me. I have a good academic record and I will reply to such matters in court. I have my own papers and I don't know anything about any such committee."

Reacting to this, Prof Pawan said, "Both the VC and Dr Singh are controversial figures, and the latter enjoys the support and trust of the VC in almost all matters; therefore, despite such serious forgery, he is still continuing as a professor at the university" "Dr Rajeev Kumar Singh has submitted forged documents in his research papers as well, and he was given the post of guest faculty at Central University, Jharkhand, but he has shown that he was being given the post on a "contractual" basis", he added.