The Dhanamanjuri University (DMU) is once again in the news with controversies surrounding the recruitment of assistant professors in different disciplines. Governor Anusuiya Uikey had convened a meeting with the ex-officio Vice Chancellor H Gyan Prakash and Registrar, DMU, Nivedita Lairenlakpam and discussed about the issue arising out of the non-declaration of results of recruitment of assistant professors of Botany and Physics subjects of the University.
The governor had specifically directed the university authority to constitute an enquiry committee and to investigate the process of the said recruitment. Earlier, six students’ organisations had exposed a controversy regarding the recent recruitment of Assistant Professors over alleged disappearance of tabulation sheets containing marks obtained by candidates in Botany and Physics departments. Again, it was revealed that an additional number of 60 assistant professors were also recruited beyond the originally notified 88 positions.
Besides the controversy of missing tabulation sheets and additional selection list, another discrepancy has been detected in the selection list of Assistant Professor in Anthropology department. The selection list notified on July 18, 2024 had declared one Akoijam Milan Meitei was selected in the category of OBC (M) in the Anthropology department, while his name appeared as Sl No 2 among the shortlisted candidates for the unreserved (UR) category. In this backdrop, there is indeed an urgent need for an enquiry committee to clear up the mist enveloping the multiple controversies.
Like they say ‘Dal me kuch kalaa he’, it needs to be properly investigated and a white paper issued. As we understand, the long pending recruitment results of assistant professors and non-teaching staff was made after an active intervention of the state Governor, Anusuiya Uikey. So, it seems somewhere something had gone wrong in the process resulting in the controversy. Question is, did the Governor trample on the toes of the powers that be in her zeal to ensure a smooth academic atmosphere in DMU campus?
Well, the uproar in the university had attracted quite a lot of attention in recent times, with academicians and concerned citizens including its illustrious alumni crying foul over the lack of apathy from the state government.
The DM College of yore, now divided into three separate institutions of different streams, was once a premier institution in the whole of Northeast and it had spawned illustrious personalities in every field. After the conversion of Manipur University into a central university, a need for establishing a state university was felt and the passing of DMU Act in 2017 came as a blessing. DM University came into existence in April 2018 under The Dhanamanjuri University Act, 2017.
The university was established under the National Scheme of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) as fulfilment of one of its primary components i.e., to convert colleges to cluster Universities. The University is built up of the three Dhanamanjuri Colleges namely DM College of Science, DM College of Arts, DM College of Commerce along with GP Women’s College and LMS Law College.
However, for about four years there was no academic leadership in the newly established university as it was administered through default by the Administrative Secretary-in-charge of Higher & Technical Education as the in-charge Vice Chancellor one after another, and an officer on deputation from the state government as the Registrar in charge. During that period of time, academic activities were mostly neglected leading to frequent spells of strike by students and teachers while construction activities of different buildings and other infrastructure under the RUSA fund went on full swing.
