'Conscience-driven' Bihar professor returns Rs. 23 lakh received as salary
Lalan Kumar, an assistant professor of Nitisheswar College in Bihar's Muzaffarpur, has returned the salary that he earned over the past 33 months as no students attended his class during this period. Kumar said that his "conscience did not allow" him to take the money and gave a cheque of Rs. 23,82,228 to the registrar of BR Ambedkar Bihar University (BRABU) on Tuesday.
'It would be academic death for me'
The Hindi professor said, "If I take a salary without teaching for five years, it would be academic death for me." The college authorities haven't accepted the protest payback and many don't even agree with his logic. Kumar, in fact, wants to be shifted to the post-graduate college and said that he would do a sit-in protest if his demand is not met.
College principal counters zero-attendance claim
A PhD in Hindi, Kumar said that he wasn't given a post-graduate class to teach, adding, "Those with lower ranks got those postings and the students never showed up." Meanwhile, the college principal, Manoj Kumar, contended the zero-attendance claim and said that physical classes were disrupted because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He added that Kumar should have directly talked to him about the transfer.
BRABU takes note of professor's action
The registrar of BRABU said that what Kumar did was extremely unusual and he would discuss with the vice-chancellor about the next course of action. The registrar added that the university had taken note of the fact that students don't attend classes in the college. "Professor Lallan Kumar is upset. He has given us a cheque but we have not accepted it," he added.
Nitisheswar College offers UG courses
Nitisheswar College, which offers undergraduate courses in Arts and Science, was founded by freedom fighter Nitisheshwar Prasad Singh in 1970. Meanwhile, professor Kumar pursued his master's in Hindi from Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University and completed his MPhil and PhD from Delhi University.
