Bhopal: A petition has been submitted to Honorable Vice President of India against political suppression & witch hunting at Makhanlal Chaturvedi National Journalism and Communication University (MCU), Bhopal. 

Over 15 vice chancellors, former vice-chancellors and pro vice chancellors, including over 300 professors under the aegis of academicians for Freedom, Delhi, all have come together and submitted this petition. The letter appeals to the Vice President to intervene as he is also the Visitor (Chancellor) of this University and has authority to intercede under the university act. 
The action comes a week after income tax raids were conducted at the premises of the family members and aides of chief minister Kamal Nath. Many see this as a retaliation from the leader who has launched attack on academicians. 

The Congress government came in power in December 2018, and just afterwards they formed a committee to investigate the working of the university between 2003 and 2018. 
University administration recently registered an FIR against the former Vice-Chancellor, BK Kuthiyala, and other 20 professors for alleged irregularities in appointments and financial matters. As per the reports, no official inquiry took pace at MCU before booking these academicians. 

Also read: Income tax department gets multiple tip-offs regarding cash funding, more raids expected

The economic offences wing (EOW) of the Madhya Pradesh government has registered the case sighting illegalities, including financial wrongdoings and recruiting teaching faculty and administrative staff on the basis of their allegiance to a particular ideology. 

A new campus at Bisenkheri was also constructed, and was considered among major irregularities of Makhanlal Chaturvedi University. This was reported by the varsity registrar to EOW. 
In the FIR, EOW has said that Kuthiyala opened several study centres outside the campus to “benefit a group of people”, and he “misused his office for his own expenses as well as his family’s.”
One of the accused professors asked, “Why are teachers only targeted when they were recruited by the university?” They are alleging that the faculty members are being made scapegoats for “someone else’s wrongdoing”. 

However, Probe committee member Bhupendr Gupta said that they have done nothing and have just let people know what was happening in the university. 

The press release read, “We all professors are sad and deeply hurt that the president of the MCU, Bhopal has registered an FIR against former Vice-Chancellor, Registrar and 20 other teachers without any investigation and proof." 
It is also noted that neither any show-cause notice was issued, nor an investigating committee report was presented before registering an FIR.