KU Sangh office opening runs into rough weather

Thiruvananthapuram: The much-publicised inauguration of the Kerala University Employees Sangh office in the varsity headquarters compound on Friday led to tense moments, forcing Union minister V Muraleedharan to cancel the programme.
The minister had to go back without inaugurating the office since the university registrar had evicted the Sangh members from the room they allegedly illegally occupied to run the union office.
The pro-CPM employees’ union members were up in arms against the employees Sangh opening its union office at the Palayam campus. They claimed that the Sangh, being a non-recognised union, has no right to open office by forcibly occupying a room. The union leaders also criticised health university vice-chancellor Mohanan Kunnummel, currently holding the additional charge of Kerala University VC, for helping out Sangh Parivar to open office on the campus.
The union minister, who turned up for inaugurating the union, however left the varsity headquarters after meeting the vice-chancellor. Amidst claims and counter claims over the legitimacy of other association office rooms, the VC directed the registrar to find out whether the university had indeed officially allotted the rooms from where the other associations currently run their offices.
Pro-CPM university employees' union, pro-Congress employees' staff union and pro-CPI employees’ association have office rooms at the Palayam campus. There were allegations that the buildings occupied by co-operative societies run by the employees' organisations were also occupied by them without any official permission from the university. After the cancelled inauguration programme, V Muraleedharan said he was expecting the VC to take an appropriate decision to ensure equal justice to the employees' Sangh.