SFI Shimla protests against corruption in fake professor recruitments

On 30th July 2024, the SFI Shimla district, following the call of the state committee, held a protest at the campus with students from Kotshira, Sanjauli, RKMV, Sawra, evening departments, and district units like Rampur and Sawra, raising student demands.

In the press release, it was stated that during the Corona period, former Vice-Chancellor Sikander Kumar made professor recruitments in the university. Since then, the SFI has been raising questions about these recruitments, alleging that significant academic corruption occurred. When the honorable High Court delivered a decision on these recruitments, the hiring of three professors was canceled. The High Court declared that the VC could never assume the powers of the Executive Council. As a result, all these recruitments are under suspicion. Therefore, the SFI demands that these recruitments be immediately canceled and appeals to the honorable High Court to form a committee for a proper judicial investigation of these recruitments.

The SFI has long been opposing the increase in fees under the guise of PTA fees in colleges. The SFI believes that providing free education to students is the government’s responsibility. However, the way teachers are being appointed under the name of PTA fees is merely a means to extract money from parents, which goes against inclusive education and the fundamental right to education. The SFI has long been protesting this. Furthermore, the college administration does not have a proper account of where the PTA fee money is being used.

SFI Shimla district secretary Kamal Sharma said that our country is the largest democratic country in the world. When a student enters college, they become the first adult of our country. In 2014, when the Congress government was in power in Himachal Pradesh, the democratic right of students, the SCA election, was snatched away by the government. According to the Lyngdoh Committee, SCA elections cannot be suspended for more than four years in any state. However, it has been ten years, and the state government has not yet reinstated the democratic right of students, the SCA election, which the SFI continues to fight for.

Therefore, through this press release, the SFI challenges the state government that if all these issues are not addressed promptly, the SFI, mobilizing the entire student community of Himachal Pradesh, will organize a fierce movement in the future, for which the administration and state government will be solely responsible.