Hyderabad, July 17: Aping the angry voters of Mahbubnagar and Medak who asked cops to search for ‘missing MPs,’ the students of Osmania University have also lodged a complaint with the police saying that their vice chancellor, Mr T. Tirupati Rao, had gone missing.
According to them, the vice-chancellor had vanished from the campus and was busy globe-trotting, neglecting the problems of students. “It is easier to the meet the Chief Minister of the state than to get the appointment of the VC,” quipped a student.
“We went six times to the VC’s office to give him a memorandum requesting extension of M.Phil course but had to return disappointed all the six times,” said Manavat Rai, a research student who lodged a “missing person” complaint at the OU police station on Thursday.
In fact, the students have nicknamed Mr Tirupati Rao the “Touring VC” since the excuse offered by his office whenever they try to meet him is, “He is on tour.” The vice-chancellor was on tour when a girl student committed suicide on the campus and when students attacked the OU Technology College principal protesting against ragging. “He was also not around when students the removal of compulsory deposit in hostels, when engineering students agitated to scrap the detention system and even when the employees of OU didn’t get their monthly salary,” said a student. Mr Tirupati Rao visited the US immediately after he took charge as the V-C last year.
This was followed by further tours to the US and the UK apart from regular visits to Bhopal and northeast. “We have so many problems but the VC is indifferent to them,” said J. Kalyan, a students’ union leader. “This is campaign to malign the image of the VC,” said the registrar, Mr Y.C. Venudhar. Meanwhile, the OU police said that while a complaint has been lodged by the students, no FIR has been registered so far.
–Agencies