AICTE chairman reaches NIT Hamirpur for conducting inquiry against former director

AICTE chairman Professor Anil Sahasrabudhe on Tuesday visited the National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur to inquire into allegations of wrongdoing against its former director.

The Union HRD ministry had recently constituted a one-man committee headed by Sahasrabudhe for holding an inquiry into alleged irregularities in recruitment and purchases by former NIT Hamirpur director Professor Vinod Yadava.

Jalandhar NIT director Professor Lalit Awasthy has been given additional charge as Hamirpur NIT director.

Prof Sahasrabudhe, chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) held talks with the staff after his arrival here.

The working of Prof Yadava had been under a cloud since he took over as the director of the institute, especially with regard to appointment of new faculty members and other related issues.

The matter took a political turn after local MLA Rajinder Rana of the Congress highlighted the anomalies in the functioning of the former director and accused the ruling BJP of helping Prof Yadava.

Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur had also met Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and sought his intervention in the issue.

Meanwhile, Rana told PTI on Tuesday that he had already submitted proofs of his allegations to the HRD ministry.

He also reiterated his demand for a CBI probe in the matter as he claimed that the anomalies were of a serious nature.