LUDHIANA — Vice-Chancellor of CT University, Nitin Tandon, was removed on Tuesday following allegations of misbehaviour with a group of Kashmiri students, Chancellor Charanjit Singh Channi said.
The private university has also initiated an internal inquiry into the incident, while local authorities are monitoring the situation.
According to the students, the incident occurred on Monday when they requested sehri and iftar arrangements in the university mess amid the ongoing month of Ramzan. They alleged that Tandon used abusive language against them and threatened to cancel their admissions.
Following the incident, students staged a protest on campus, raising slogans against the Vice-Chancellor.
Channi said Tandon’s services have been terminated and a committee led by the Jagraon Sub-Divisional Magistrate has been constituted to investigate the matter.
The issue was also highlighted by Iltija Mufti, who shared a video of the students on X and urged Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann take action in the matter.
“Dear @BhagwantMann ji do you endorse the Vice Chancellor of CT University Punjab abusing & bullying Kashmiri Muslim students only because they requested food for Iftari & Sehri since it’s Ramzan? Shocked that assaulting Kashmiris has been normalised even in a state like Punjab. We request strict action against the Vice Chancellor. Anything else is mere lip service,” she said.
The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association also sought the Chief Minister’s intervention. Its national convenor, Nasir Khuehami, said the association received complaints from students alleging that they were threatened that they would be evicted from their hostels and their admissions cancelled for seeking meals at inappropriate timings in the university mess during Ramzan.
Khuehami said the students are regular fee-paying boarders who merely requested necessary meal arrangements.
“No student should face hostility, threats or coercion for following their faith,” he said, adding that universities are meant to be safe and inclusive spaces that uphold constitutional values, dignity and equal treatment for all; irrespective of region, religion, or background. — (PTI)