25 March,2009 10:10 AM IST | | Subroto Roy
A K Oberoi almost came to blows with C M Chitale, dean of management faculty, University of Pune, during a meeting to discuss the unusually high fees charged by the institute
In an unusual incident, two high-profile academicians almost came to blows with one another over allegations of cheating.
A K Oberoi, director, DINA institute of hotel and business management, almost assaulted C M Chitale, dean of management faculty, University of Pune, during a meeting in the university campus to discuss irregularities in the fee structure of the institute.
A source close to Chitale told MiD DAY that he had stated in a report that DINA charged fees to the tune of Rs 2.5 lakh and above when the actual fee was only Rs 25,000 per annum.
Narendra Jadhav, vice chancellor, University of Pune, said in an exclusive interview to MiD DAY, "He (Oberoi) was very aggressive and almost assaulted our dean."
Jadhav added that Oberoi had also sent a letter against Chitale. It is believed in the University circles that Chitale was keen on exposing the 'cheating' related to the fees, but Oberoi and his sympathisers in the committee did not like it.
Chitale was asked to leave the University's high-power committee looking into the cheating case against Oberoi and five other directors of DINA.
Jadhav has instituted a committee to look into the allegations of cheating. He, however, said that the University has acted on the recommendation of the Board of College and University Development (BCUD). "Our committee has sent its inputs to the courts," said Jadhav.
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No appointment
Meanwhile, around 78 students affected by the fee structure led by social activist Trupti Desai alleged that the Jadhav has not met them for the last three months despite repeated requests.
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"We tried to contact him for the last three months, but we were told that we can't meet him before the end of April," said a first year student who was protesting at the Pandav Nagar Police Chowkie yesterday.
No arrests
The Pandav Nagar police chowkie failed to arrest the directors of Dina yesterday despite the fact that they have been denied bail.
The Chaturshringi police station had booked the directors under section 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery for cheating) and 34 (acts done by several people for a common intention).
When contacted, PSI Nagnath Devkare said the investigations were on. Around 78 protested in front of the chowkie yesterday and demanded their arrest.
