Probe team gives clean chit to Pandey sans a visit to MU
Source: The Sangai Express

N Delhi / Imphal, July 30 2018: The Fact Finding Team constituted by the Union Human Resource Development Ministry to probe the charges levelled against VC of Manipur University, Prof Adya Prasad Pandey has not 'found any evidence of corruption against him', reports the Sunday Guardian.

Members of the Fact Finding Team include Joint Secretary of UGC JK Tripathi, Deputy Secretary in the MHRD Sural Singh and former Chief Justice of Meghalaya T Nandakumar.

When The Sangai Express contacted senior Professor of MU of the Economics Department, Amur Yumnam, the Professor said that the team did not visit the varsity at all and added that he does not know how and from where the team conducted its investigation.

"They never visited MV campus," he added.

Debunking the report, the Registrar in charge of Manipur University said that the Fact Finding Committee was constituted on July 17 and questioned how the Committee can start its probe from July 10, as reported by the Sunday Guardian.

The information is false, said the Registrar in charge and added that all the Administrative Departments have been locked since May 30 and providing the required documents for starting the investigation is not possible.

Neither any initial investigation has been started, nor any initial report has been submitted by the Fact Finding Committee, said the Registrar in charge .

According to the Sunday Guardian, however, the initial reports of the "Fact Finding Team" which was set up early this month to investigate the row, have not found any evidence of corruption so far against Pandey.

A source close to the Fact Finding team told The Sunday Guardian: "In the initial investigation, the Fact Finding team did not come across any evidence that could suggest that the V-C was involved in any wrongdoing on university campus.

The team has also revealed that he was made a target for his political affiliation," reported the Sunday Guardian.

The protesters, MUTA, MUSU and MUSA have boycotted the Fact Finding Team and had said that the students' union and the teachers' union of Manipur University would not support the Fact Finding team unless the Government accepted their demand to remove Pandey, added the Sunday Guardian.

The Manipur University Students' Union (MUSU) has accused Pandey of being involved in corruption, not following rules in appointments, misappropriation in disbursement of funds and favouring the BJP's students' wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad on campus, added the Sunday Guardian.

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