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Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has dubbed Goa University a 'mere PhD-producing machine' involved in several financial irregularities.
The chief minister also appointed an officer on special duty to probe the alleged irregularities, which has led to protests from within the faculty.
Vice-Chancellor Balkrishna Sonde welcomed the decision, but denied the irregularities.
In a letter to Governor Mohammed Fazal, Dr Peter de Souza, HoD of political science, objected to the appointment of a government officer. "It constitutes a grave violation of the principle of intellectual autonomy," he stated.
"The university is not a fully autonomous institution,'' Parrikar argued, adding that it cannot claim financial autonomy and beg for funds from the state government. Alleging corruption, he transferred education director Dr M Modassir as OSD, to probe into the irregularities.
Describing the state action as the beginning of the end of the university's autonomy, Dr de Souza, an eminent political commentator, said it was a sinister design of emasculating institutions for political gains.
Citing rules of the Goa University Act, he listed sufficient authorities, including state finance secretary and education secretary, appointed on the finance committee as well as the chancellor's (Governor) right to set up an inquiry to address issues of administrative and financial irregularities.
"The government has no role. The chancellor has," stated Dr de Souza. But Sonde claimed that the OSD had been appointed by the government in consultation with the governor, who is also the university chancellor.
According to him, the OSD will help the university administer the institution, till a new a registrar takes over after three months. "But he will not function as the proxy registrar," he claimed.
The former registrar retired a month ago.
"Intellectual autonomy is not a gift of any government, to be taken away on anybody's whims, but the inalienable right of a free people. An OSD appointed by the government constitutes an erosion of this right. It is the first step on a slippery slope," observed Dr de Souza.
Sonde welcomed Dr de Souza's action of publicising his letter written to the chancellor, stating that it will help a public debate. But with the CM's utterances on the university and the appointment of the OSD, the letter appears to have added fuel to the fire that was seething within academic circles under the Bharatiya Janata Party regime.
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