Ex-MSU senate member seeks permission for self-immolation

VADODARA: Ahead of the 66th annual convocation of M S University on Monday where President Ram Nath Kovind is the chief guest, former senate and syndicate member Dr I I Pandya has written an open letter to state education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama seeking permission for self-immolation.
Apart from President, Gujarat Governor O P Kohli, Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani and Chudasama are scheduled to remain present at the convocation.

In a letter to Chudasama, Pandya has stated that if the former is a "true Kshatriya he should protect a Brahmin from injustice" or "as state education minister provide him permission for self-immolation".

Pandya, former president of the Baroda University Teachers Association (BUTA) and currently teacher at the Faculty of Technology and Engineering has highlighted the injustice that he is facing from the gang of senate and syndicate members who thanks to their political godfathers are currently running university's administration.

"As BUTA president, it was natural for me to make strong representations against the state government and education ministers whenever teachers faced injustice. But using this as a shield and labelling me as anti-BJP government, you in presence of many MLAs have clearly refused to provide me justice which is shameful," Pandya's letter states.

It is worth mentioning here that many MLAs from the city have time and again made representations before Chudasama urging him to ensure that Pandya gets his professorship due to him since 2006.

In 2010, Pandya was selected for the post of professor but the members of MSU's syndicate body did not clear his appointment. Even in 2014, Pandya was again selected as professor but the syndicate body in which BJP-RSS group enjoys majority first did not place the selection committee's report for nine months and later rejected the committee's recommendation.

In December 2016, Chudasama himself had appointed a probe committee headed by vice-chancellor of Gujarat University M N Patel. Although a year and a half have passed to the committee submitting its report, the report has not been placed before syndicate body.

"It seems that on the behest of the gang that is managing the university affairs, I am not getting justice from you," the letter states, urging the state minister to permit him for self-immolation and accept the "sin of killing a Brahmin".