'Political meet' at Bharathiar University sparks row

By Express News Service

COIMBATORE: Bharathiar University landed in a controversy when former registrar (in charge) K Murugan received a membership card from two BJP functionaries inside the university recently.

According to sources, K Murugan senior professor and HoD (Zoology), who was also the Registrar (in-charge), retired on June 30. Murugan, sources said, had reportedly expressed a wish to join the BJP. When he was waiting in the office of Vice-Chancellor P Kaliraj on July 1, secretary of BJP's State youth wing Preethi Lakshmi and media wing Secretary Sabari Girish handed over the membership card to him.

Kaliraj was not present when the meeting took place.

Photographs of Murugan's meeting with the BJP functionaries were shared by the party on its social media pages the next day, which triggered a controversy.

Murugan admitted that he wanted to join the BJP and that he had quit the party. "I gave a missed call to the subscription number on June 30, following which the functionaries met him in the university on July 1. I quit the BJP on July 2 and communicated it to the high command through the mail," he added.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Government College Teachers' Association condemned the incident.

Association president T Veeramani said, "The VC should not allow political activities inside the University. If unchecked, such incidents would turn educational institutions into asylums for political parties. It is regrettable that such an incident has taken place. The State government should order an inquiry."

Repeated attempts to reach university VC P Kaliraj went in vain.