27-05-2025
Vice Chancellor of CLDU in Haryana's Sirsa replaced 4 months after appointment
Barely four months after being appointed as the vice-chancellor of Chaudhary Devi Lal University (CDLU) in Haryana's Sirsa, Professor Narsi Ram Bishnoi was Monday replaced with Governor Bandaru Dattatraya, who is also the varsity's Chancellor, appointing Dr Vijay Kumar to the post.
In a notification, Haryana Raj Bhawan said, 'Dr Vijay Kumar, Professor of Physics, has been appointed as vice-chancellor, CDLU, Sirsa, for a period of three years or till he attains the age of 68 years whichever is earlier, with effect from the date he assumes the charge of his office. Terms and conditions of the appointment will be determined on the advice of the state government later on'.
Bishnoi had taken over as vice-chancellor of CDLU on January 25. He was previously vice chancellor of Guru Jambeshwar University of Science and Technology (GJUST), Hisar.
Soon after taking over as V-C, Bishnoi renamed buildings at CDLU, igniting political controversy. On May 19, the multipurpose hall of the CDLU was named after Namdhari reformer Guru Ram Singh.
Two days later, the IT data and computer centre was renamed after environmental martyr Mata Amrita Devi Bishnoi. On May 23, the Student Activity Centre was named after Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar. On Sunday, CDLU announced that its information centre and guidance bureau would be named after Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Ashok Singhal.
The Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), led by Haryana's former deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala, had been protesting against Narsi Ram Bishnoi.
During a press conference Sunday, Digvijay Singh, JJP's state secretary general and Dushyant's younger brother, accused Bishnoi of allegedly 'exceeding his mandate'. Singh claimed that the student activity centre was originally slated to be named after Punjab's former chief minister, Parkash Singh Badal, and Dushyant Chautala had already announced it.
Singh added that the party did not have an objection to naming a building after Veer Savarkar, but it should not have been done by replacing Parkash Singh Badal's name.
'While I respect Veer Savarkar ji, but Parkash Singh Badal's contributions to the farming community and the region need to be equally respected, and cannot be ignored,' he said, and demanded that Badal's name be restored to the hall and 'Savarkar's name be assigned to another facility'.
The JJP leader also urged Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to intervene, and warned of statewide protests if corrective action was not taken.
Haryana government officials, however, told The Indian Express that it was a 'routine transfer'.
