An assistant professor at the Periyar University who raised various allegations against the varsity administration was placed under suspension. With two days left for the end of the extended tenure of Periyar University Vice-Chancellor R. Jagannathan, this action has come under severe criticism.
V. Vaithianathan is an assistant professor in the department of economics and the former president of the Periyar University Teachers’ Association (PUTA). On February 20, 2025, the university administration issued a memo seeking an explanation from Mr. Vaithianathan based on news articles published in some sections of print media. Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Periyar University Registrar (in-charge), S. Kadhiravan, served a suspension order on Mr. Vaithianathan.
In the order, the registrar said that the explanations offered by Mr. Vaithianathan were not satisfactory. Making confidential information concerning university administration available to the media and criticising the administration amounted to gross misconduct and indiscipline. “We deem it fit and I am directed to place you under suspension pending enquiry, in the best interests of the Periyar University. You should not enter into the campus of the university and remain in the headquarters during the period of suspension,” the registrar added in the order.
Mr. Vaithianathan, in a statement, said that “to stop the interviewfor the post of registrar as many rules are violated, I wrote a letter to the Higher Education secretary on behalf of the union I represent. Based on that, the interview was stopped. Irked by this, for baseless reasons, I was placed under suspension. In the funds misappropriation case registered against Mr. Jagannathan, I was one of the witnesses. For threatening the witnesses, I was suspended. I will face this legally,” Mr. Vaithianathan added.
Former president of the Association of University Teachers, K. Pandiyan, termed this action as unacceptable. Earlier, for speaking against the administration, the former PUTA general secretary, K. Prem Kumar, was suspended, and later he was terminated from service. Now the PUTA’s former president, Vaithianathan, is placed under suspension. The Periyar University administration is victimising people who raise their voice against them, he said.
Periyar University Vice-Chancellor R. Jagannathan was not available for comment.
Published – May 17, 2025 11:37 am IST
