Amish Malhotra
Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University is currently in hot news not for its achievements but for activities not suitable to a highest seat of learning particularly when it possesses the title after the country’s renowned spiritual shrine of Shahdra Sharief.
Named after the sufi saint Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah who earned respect of all religions, faiths and areas due to his service to humanity, the university was opened to benefit all alike aiming at devotion and dedication after its mentor.The main objective behind the opening of this university was to provide easy and affordable opportunities of education to the poor but struggling students of war battered border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, who could not afford to reach the other universities for higher learning, for various reasons including economic incapicitations.
The twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch had been lagging behind in all walks of life ever since the dawn of independence as the region had served as a battle-field for all the three big wars and a prolonged proxy war of militancy suffering devastations of every sort.
The opening of BGSB University was an effort to bring the region at part with other developing parts of the country. But, the recent chain of scandals in the budding institution has, once again pushed the happy looking faces of the people in gloom.
Although there had been a simmering discontentment amongst the people of the entire region over the functioning of the university for quite some time, yet the volcano blasted when media came forward to discharge its moral duty and highlighted the malfunctioning of the people occupying the places of consequence at the university.
The stories that followed in the print and electronic media in sequence presented before the society a deep logic and substance. The allegations that were levelled against the functionaries of the university spread multidimensionally.
First, the report of embezzlement of scholarship of poor students came to the fore which was proved and FIR was registered against two employees who went underground.
Secondly, a report appeared that twenty four employees from outside the region were forced out of their jobs due to perreneal discrimination with them.
Thirdly, the media brought about a detailed report that the security money of Rs. 4,000 per student which is refundable at the completion of their studies had not been returned despite the repeated requests and visits of the students even hailing from distant parts of the State.
Fourthly, one more report came that the sale amount of the admission forms for various courses over the years which runs into crores has no fair record and the money has been swindled.
One more news came that the firm running the hostel messes had continued without any procedure and even the students alleged that they were being charged for vacation period and against poor quality food.
Similarly, the details of disproportionate assets of some higher officers and construction of a huge house at Jammu besides a pompous marriage of an officials daughter arranged by the university caterers also became headlines.
People across the region are happy that at last a beginning has been made to weed out the corrupt officials and rid the university of the blood suckers of the poor parents. But, they doubt the fairness of inquiries being carried out by Social Welfare Department and Tribal Affairs officials. They feel that the officials engaged in the inquiries are themselves a part of the vicious system, therefore the result of the inquiries would not be justice based.
The common debate going on the in the social circles centres around the following questions:-
i) How is it possible that the scholarship got embezzled over the years without the knowledge of higher-ups. Was there no internal audit to ensure the delivery of the amount to the deserving students?
ii) Was there no procedure to ascertain the number of admission forms ordered for printing and the entry of the same year-wise in the records?
iii) Was there no mechanism to over-see the condition of the hostlers who were being served poor quality food against heavy charges?
iv) Why were the students being charged mess fee for the vacation period by the caterers? Was there no one to speak for the students?
v) Was no committee constituted to ascertain the reasons leading to the departure of the huge number of employees from the university?
All these questions aside, the fact is that education for the poor students of the region at BGSB University had become a cumber some affair. Even after being funded by the UGC there was no respite for the parents of the region who had a dream to educate their wards at easy expenses.
People look forward to the decision of the present government on this issue and want a judicial inquiry by a senior Judge to bring out the real facts. They feel that the allegations of the media are genuine and if an impartial Inquiry Commission probes the affair many more skeletons shall fall out of the cup-board.
There is no doubt that some officials have thrived on their posts and have amassed huge wealth from the university which has been made a grazing pasture for them.
