Chandigarh, April 4
Continuing its “cleansing process” the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government in Haryana today asked the Vice-Chancellors of four universities in the state to quit.

According to informed sources, Mr Vishnu Bhagwan, a former bureaucrat, who was the Vice-Chancellor of Guru Jambeshwar University (GDU), Hisar, as well as Choudhary Devi Lal University (CDLU), Sirsa, sent his resignation to the Chancellor, Dr A.R. Kidwai, this evening.

Mr Vishnu Bhagwan was the Principal Secretary to the then Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, before he was promoted Chief Secretary. After his superannuation, he was made Chairman of the Public Enterprises Bureau for two terms. Later he was appointed Vice-Chancellor of GDU. He was also given charge as Vice-Chancellor of CDLU later. He submitted his resignation from both posts.

Dr A.K. Chawla, Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra University (KU), Kurukshetra, according to the sources, is expected to send his resignation late tonight or tomorrow. Sources close to him had told TNS earlier in the day that if the government asked for his resignation, he would quit “gracefully”.

Before his appointment as Vice-Chancellor, Dr Chawla was the Principal of Government College, Jind. Interestingly, he completed two years of his three-year term today.

However, a controversy has arisen over Dr Chawla with the president of the Kurukshetra University Teachers Association (KUTA), Mr Om Prakash Gehlawat, demanding an inquiry against him for alleged irregularities in appointments and construction activity.

In a statement issued here today Mr Gehlawat said Dr Chawla should have quit immediately after the change of government in the state. He alleged that during the last Assembly elections he along with the then Registrar of the university had been campaigning for the Indian National Lok Dal as if “they had been its president and general secretary, respectively.”

The Vice-Chancellor of Choudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agriculture University, Hisar, Mr M.K. Miglani, also a former bureaucrat, the sources say, met Dr Kidwai here this evening. It is not known if he submitted his resignation to the Chancellor or not.

Mr Miglani was also the Principal Secretary to Mr Chautala before he was appointed Vice-Chancellor.