The first Vice-Chancellor of Assam Women’s University (AWU), Prof Malinee Goswami, has resigned from her position.
After her resignation, the director of research (agri) and in-charge Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Assam Agricultural University (AAU), Dr Ashok Bhattacharyya, has been asked by the Assam Governor to assume the charge of the women university’s VC as an ad hoc arrangement.
Dr Bhattacharyya took charge from the AAU VC, KM Bujarbaruah on August 1, 2019 as in-charge VC of AAU.
Dr Bidyut Chandan Deka, director, ICAR- ATARI, Umiam in Meghalaya, appointed as the new Vice-Chancellor of AAU, will soon take charge from Dr Bhattacharyya.
Dr Bhattacharyya said he had received a letter from Governor Jagdish Mukhi, who is the Chancellor of AWU, in which he had been directed to head the AWU as acting Vice-Chancellor till further orders and to accept the resignation of the incumbent VC, Prof Malinee Goswami.
Assam Women’s University’s first VC, Prof Goswami recently completed a year of her tenure before she resigned.
Prof Goswami, former head of the Assamese department, Gauhati University, was appointed as the VC of AWU by chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who was the then Chancellor of the university on September 12.
She had assumed charge on September 17, 2019 but was on leave for most parts of September this year reportedly due to the ill health of her spouse.
Also read: Malinee Goswami takes over as first VC of Assam Women’s University
Goswami told this correspondent that she had tendered her resignation quite some time back but that it had not been accepted.
“The resignation was most likely not accepted as there were some works that need to be disposed of, ” she said.
As to why she was resigning, Goswami said there was not one reason but several reasons behind her decision to resign but refused to elaborate.
Prior to Dr Goswami’s appointment, a stop-gap arrangement continued for six years.
The government had appointed the VC of AAU, KM Bujarbaruah, as a mentor of Assam Women’s University.
The university, the first women’s university in the Northeast, was established by the Assam Women’s University Act, 2013 (XXII of 2013) by the Assam government.
In 2018, the university courted controversy when students of the University took to the streets demanding the appointment of permanent VC and six other top posts, which had been lying vacant since its inception, holding of convocations, etc.
The students’ movement garnered support from almost all the organisations and other universities in the state and from other parts of the country including AASU, AJYCP, KMSS, SFI and others, till it became a state-wide agitation.
The controversy had arisen after education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma hinted in the State Assembly that the university would be downgraded into an institute as the mentor heading a university was not legal nor were the pass certificates signed by him.
The girls called off the agitation when AASU rallied behind the students and the Speaker, Hitendra Nath Goswami, who is also the Jorhat MLA, assured the students that the seven vacant posts would be filled up and status quo of the university would be maintained.
However, only three posts were filled up and seven years on, teachers are still appointed on ad hoc basis.