Chandigarh, February 09: Students of a dental college affiliated to Panjab University (PU) on Monday ended their six-day-old strike as the varsity authorities agreed to remove the institute’s director, Krishan Gauba.
“The committee has recommended the repatriation of (institute’s director Krishan) Gauba and PU syndicate has approved it. In fact Gauba had himself expressed his willingness to go back to PGIMER (Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research). Now we would soon appoint the new principal of the dental institute,” Vice Chancellor R.C. Sobti told the sources.
Students of H.S. Judge Institute of Dental Sciences here had gone on an indefinite strike on February 1 after a woman student had accused Gauba of humiliating her in public.
The university authorities had constituted a four-member committee to probe the complaint and the committee had submitted its report to the vice chancellor late on Sunday evening. He then called an emergency meeting of PU syndicate on Monday to discuss the report, and it approved the decision to remove Gauba.
This strike has badly affected the services of the outpatients department (OPD) that is run by the institute. Approximately 300 patients visit this OPD everyday.
In the wake of the students’ strike, university authorities had, on their own, suspended the teaching work in the college from February 3 to 7. Gauba was also asked to proceed on leave from February 3.
Meanwhile, Gauba refuted all the allegations.
“I only wanted my students to maintain discipline and decorum. I have not done anything wrong. But there are certain things that are beyond our control. I have no problem in going back to PGIMER,” Gauba told the sources.
In 2009, students had had another run-in with Gauba regarding the dress code. Girl students were not allowed to wear jeans but the direction was withdrawn after widespread protests.
–IANS