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Prof. JOHN SEKAR of English Dept. reports the events that have been taking place in the college on a day-to-day basis:
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First week of March 2008•
The Bishop through the diocesan officers headed by Rev. Dasayan asked for Rs.1 lakh from the college funds and permission for using college ground for the celebration of his election as Deputy Moderator, Synod CSI.
• While the Principal and Secretary categorically declined for any monetary help for such an extravaganza, he offered the college Main Hall, which the diocese declined to accept. The principal could not allot the college grounds because of the hostel day celebrations slated that weekend. But he assured the Bishop's men that he would certainly spend some money from the college on poor Christian high school students for their education so that they could come to the college for higher education on their merit.
Wednesday, 19 March 2008•
On return from his Hong Kong trip, Principal and Secretary Dr. T. Chinnaraj Joseph Jaikumar asked the Bishop over the phone whether he had signed the papers relating to the principal’s visit to the US. The Bishop replied that he had to talk to him before signing papers, and suggested that the principal met him in person at his Dental college office. The principal met him in the same evening.
• It was a two hour intimidation by the bishop with a hostile tone and tenor. He found fault with the principal for having advised the Bursar who is his son-in-law on matters related to his involvement in getting sponsorship from a private cellular phone company, and to his personal connections with a fellow woman lecturer.
• The principal told him that he had specifically asked the bursar not to involve himself in the music programme and other things related to it as it was being organized by women’s club; that his collection of Rs.3 lakh from Air Tel as sponsor amount and supplying them with tickets worth Rs.3 lakh were an unethical and dishonest act; that he as a junior faculty member with responsible position as an officer of the college shall not call women faculty members by any endearing names in public.
• The bishop in a highly objectionable language intimidated the principal saying that he was a dangerous person who could trace foot prints of his enemies on sand, and could turn criminal cases into civil and vice versa.
• When pressed for his papers, the principal was told that the bishop had kept them at home and he would sent them the next day.
Thursday, 20 March 2008•
The Bishop over the phone again intimidated the principal charging him of a sex scandal.
• The principal politely asked the bishop to behave in a manner that is proper to his position and not as a third grade person on the street.
Saturday, 22 March 2008
Bishop’s letter to Principal & Secretary Dr. T. Chinnaraj Joseph Jaikumar levelling many charges that range from the appointment of non-CSI Christians in Tamil department to academic and administrative matters. It also says that Principal and Secretary is ‘granted’ leave and permission to go abroad if he hands over all charges to the Vice-Principal, who in turn, will carry out all that is assigned to him by the Council.
Tuesday, 8 April 2008•
Principal puts up a faculty notice board informing the faculty that he postponed his trip to the US and UK due to certain recent developments in the college.
• F&P was redoing the budget for 2008-09 since the Bursar had prepared it with nearly 1.5 crore deficit.
Wednesday and Thursday, 9 and 10 April 2008•
Bursar did not attend the candle light ceremony, but the Vice-principal attended it on both days.
Friday, 11 April 2008•
In its General Body meeting the following resolutions were passed unanimously after a thorough discussion on the Bishop’s letter to the Principal and Secretary dated 22 March 2008.
• Resolved to authorize the faculty representatives in the Governing Council of The American College, Prof. M. Rajendra Pandian and Dr. K. Navaneetha Kannan to stand by Principal and Secretary Dr. T. Chinnaraj Joseph Jaikumar, and to take strong exception to the Bishop-Chairman’s letter to the Principal and Secretary.
• Further resolved to authorize the faculty representatives to fight against the perceived diocesanization of the college.
• The Bishop called Vice-Principal on the phone around 9:45 p.m. asking him to come to his Dental college office, and handed over a letter to him around 11:30 p.m. appointing him as principal-in-charge and secretary under the pretext that Dr. T. Chinnaraj Joseph Jaikumar had proceeded on leave. Interestingly, the vice-principal did not protest that the principal and secretary had not gone on leave and that he had already put up a faculty notice on 8 April 2008 itself, and that he was working with him as vice-principal to date.
Saturday, 12 April 2008
• Around 5:45 a.m. the vice-principal called up the principal over the phone from his residence on campus informing that he had some important message to share, and met him around 6 a.m.
• The principal and Secretary took exception to what the vice-principal had done, and asked him “Were you not aware that I’m on duty and in full control of the administration?” referring to his public notice put up on the faculty notice board on 8th April 2008. He asked him “Didn’t you attend all the meetings I convened during these days after the postponement of my trip to the US and the UK?”
• The VP had no proper answer.
• The Principal and Secretary advised him to write a one-line letter to the Bishop immediately saying that since the principal and secretary was on duty, the question of appointment did not arise.
• Instead of carrying out the instructions given, the vice-principal held a conclave in his chamber with the Bursar and the F&P member Prof. T. Arul Pragasam from 7:30 a.m. and locked up the Principal’s office.
• Around 9:30 a.m. the Principal & Secretary on his arrival to the office came to know the foul game being played by the Vice-Principal and Co. He also learnt that the Bursar, using his church influence on his friend one Mr. Justin Prabhakar, Tallakulum Inspector had called the police to the campus.
• Due to the pressure built by the senior faculty members who had by then gathered in large numbers and friends of the college like Dr. Carr and Mr. Henry, the Bursar and the Vice-Principal opened the principal’s office.
• Emergency meetings of the Senatus and the Faculty were held in the afternoon and resolutions to express solidarity with and full confidence in Dr. T. Chinnaraj Joseph Jaikumar, Principal and Secretary were unanimously passed.
• Under the leadership of the principal and secretary around 10 senior faculty members called on the Commissioner of Police to prefer a complaint against Mr. Justin Prabhar who entered the campus in uniform without the authority of the head of the institution.
• Dr. V. George Selvakumar was placed under suspension.
Sunday, 13 April 2008
It is reliably learnt that Rev. Jeyachandran and Mrs. Davamani Christopher approached Rev. Dr. Larbeer to get his signature asking for an emergency meeting of the Council under the pretext that the Vice-Principal is the Secretary-in-charge.
• It is also learnt that Rev. Dr. Larbeer declined to sign such an illegal request.
Monday, 14 April 2008•
Around 4:30 p.m. some former professors and old students called on Principal and Secretary Dr. T. Chinnaraj Joseph Jaikumar to know the recent developments in the college
Tuesday, 15 April 2008•
The Bursar was seen carrying a load of files from his office, and later in the evening he was seen with files near the Outpost traffic junction with some lawyers.
Wednesday, 16 April 2008
• IPAC was formed with Prof. Solomon Papaiah as its patron
• The two teacher representatives received a letter by courier and telegrams at night informing them that the Bishop and the suspended George Selvakumar had jointly called for a GC meeting on 19 April 2008.
• Rev. Mohan Larbeer had addressed a resignation letter to the Bishop-chairman with a copy to Secretary Dr. T. Chinnaraj Joseph Jaikumar. The letter was dated 15 April 2008.
Thursday, 17 April 2008
It was reliably learnt that the Bishop had already induced the Societies Registration department to recommend to the government about the dissolution of the Governing Council of the American College as a registered Society.
• It was learnt that the diocesan officers held a press conference at OCPM.
• Protest telegrams were sent to the bishop and Dr. George Selvakumar by the teacher representatives in the Council Prof. M. Rajendra Pandian and Dr. Navaneetha Kannan.
Friday, 18 April 2008•
All dailies had carried the reports of the news conference held by the diocesan officers at OCPM.
• The main allegation was that the principal failed to file annual reports and audits of the Society with the Societies Registration department and therefore it had recommended to the government the dissolution of the society. It is to be noted that it is the duty of the bursar to file such returns.
• Protest telegrams by Principal and Secretary Dr. T. Chinnaraj Joseph Jaikumar and AIACHE nominees Mr. R. Sathiamoorthy and Dr. V. Swaminathan were sent to the Bishop-chairman and Dr. V. George Selvakumar who were trying to convene an illegal Governing Council meeting at an authorized place.
• Principal and Secretary Dr. T. Chinnaraj Joseph Jaikumar met senior faculty members at 1 p.m. at the Seminar Hall to brief them about the recent happenings on the campus.
• The principal informed Mr. Larbeer by telegram and speed post that his resignation had been accepted.
Saturday, 19 April 2008
• The college received an objection letter from the District Registrar of Societies about the alleged non-submission of annual reports and audit reports from 2003 (it is to be recalled that the diocese had claimed in a press conference on 17 April 2008 that the District Registrar of Societies had recommended to the government about the dissolution of the Society).
• Around 1.30 p.m. a fax was received and it informed the principal that the illegally convened GC meeting had placed him under suspension.
• Around 6:15 p.m. the Bishop broke open the main gate with many outsiders armed with deadly weapons to ‘install’ the new principal.
• The faculty and students who had gathered in large number put up a stiff resistance. Principal and Secretary called the police. With the knowledge of the police, the bishop brought a bus full of girls from CSI Nursing college and a group orphan children around 10 p.m. to provide a human shield to his gang.
• The bishop and the bursar were seen giving instructions to the police that the principal office was sealed and keys were handed over to them after chasing away the college students out.
• The principal contacted the district collector, who assured him that the principal could do anything that he thought good for the institution and that he would send RDO. He also contacted the ADGP, L&O and Intelligence and the Home Secretary for the protection of the college students and properties.
• Early morning, the collector promulgated Section 145 on campus, formed peace committee that would take place around 10 a.m. on Sunday, 20 April 2008.
Sunday, 20 April 2008
• Peace committee met under the chairmanship of DRO for nearly three hours in the morning.
• An understanding to the effect that status quo as on 8 April 2008 be maintained. Though Principal and Secretary Dr. T. Chinnaraj Joseph Jaikumar signed, the bishop & co. declined to do so. The matter was reported to the government. The government formed an eight member committee of observers to supervise the day-to-day functioning of the college particularly the conduct of examinations.
Monday, 21 April 2008
• Two complaints were received by the principal and secretary; one from Murugan of the Bursar office who claimed that the Bursar abused him verbally calling him by his caste name, and physically manhandled him, intimidated him to sign an already prepared letter to the effect that the principal forcefully got the key from him.
• Another one from Mr. Joel of the Computer Science confessing that the Bursar compelled him to break open the Washburn Gate.
• Both the complaints were received in the presence of the Dean, CDC, MKU in the evening.
• The principal forwarded the complaints to the AC, Tallakulam and the Tashildar, Madurai North.
Tuesday 22 April 2008
• Dr. Arul Arasu Israel of RPS department asked one Murugadoss of ECE final year to come to his Xerox centre attached to his house and collect handbills numbering 150, and distribute them among hostellers.
• Being his value education teacher, Murugadoss distributed as instructed. Dr. Silas, Warden, Dudley Hall enquired into the matter and brought it to the notice of the principal.
Wednesday 23 April 2008
• Murugadoss confessed in writing in the presence of revenue officials and officials from the intelligence department.
• Caveat petitions had been sent by the Bishop to the teacher representatives in the Council.
Thursday, 24 April 2008
• It was learnt that one economics student had filed a case against the principal and secretary to the effect that the principal abused him using his caste name.
• It was also learnt that this student was kept in the custody of the bishop.
• It was reliably learnt that the bishop with the world renowned Tamil evangelist and the owner of Karunya Deemed University Dr. Paul Dinakaran met the General Secretary of AIACHE in New Delhi and pressurised him to withdraw DR. V.Swamianthan and Mr. R. Sathiamoorthy from the Governing Council as AIACHE nominees.
Friday, 25 April 2008
• IPAC conducted a public meeting between 5 and 9 p.m. to explain the American college issue to the public.
• Leaders from various political parties condemned the attitude and avariciousness of the bishop and his family to grab the college property by attempting to change the principal.
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