Bihar Raj Bhavan has written to banks to overrule an education department order that had frozen the accounts of state-run universities, barring one.
The Raj Bhavan's direction comes after the Bihar government had ordered the freezing of the bank accounts of all state-run universities, barring one, and withheld salaries of their vice-chancellors for allegedly being absent at a recent review meeting convened by the education department.
The standoff between the Raj Bhavan and the education department seemed to worsen with the authorities lodging police complaints against VCs of the universities, who did not attend the department's review meeting held in the last week of February.
In a letter, Robert L Chongthu, principal secretary to the governor who is also the chancellor of state universities, directed the banks on Sunday to de-freeze the accounts of the varsities immediately.
"The chancellor (governor) has ordered that the order of the education department stands withdrawn," said the Raj Bhavan letter, a copy of which is with PTI.
The education department's letter to all VCs, except the vice-chancellor of Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University, sought clarification for their absence from the meeting to discuss pending examinations and other issues.
The letter warned that if satisfactory replies were not received within two days, FIRs would be lodged against the university authorities, and the salaries of VCs would be withheld. Additionally, banks were instructed not to operate any account of the universities until further notice.
Education Secretary Baidyanath Yadav's letter, which was also sent to examination controllers of all universities, except Magadh University and Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University, expressed strong dissatisfaction with the VCs' absence at the review meeting, stating that they had failed to discharge their duties as public servants.
Meanwhile, Darbhanga District Education Officer Samar Bahadur Singh applied to the University Police station, seeking a police complaint against the VC of Lalit Narayan Mithila University, the examination controller, and other officials for failing to attend the recent meeting convened by the education department.
Similarly, Anil Kumar, Deputy Director, Education (Koshi division, Sharsha) on Sunday filed a complaint with Sadar Police Station (Madhepura), seeking registration of a police complaint against the VC and examination controller of B N Mandal University for their absence at the meeting.
Despite several attempts, Bihar Education Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary could not be reached for comment on the issue.
