Fired for rehired: plight of a college teacher

Bibhuti Bhusan Kar, a former political science lecturer of Deogarh College is running pillar to post fighting against the injustice after he was sacked by the college’s governing body couple year back. Kar made allegation that the governing body did this in order to appoint a less qualified candidate on the pressure of a local political leader. With good academic qualification and serving for more than 14 years, his dream was shattered when he received the terminate letter in 2008. He tried to fight tooth and nail to retain his job but could not succeed. Finally he set on a hunger strike in front of the office of commissioner of higher education, Bhubaneswar where he took attempt to immolate himself on 27^th July 2010. But he was restrained by the police and than commissioner (HE) taking sympathetic view on him, forwarded his grievance to the zonal director office at Sambalpur to probe and submit a report for further action. But Kar’s fate remained unresolved till date as inquiry was not yet started by the zonal director.

B B Kar

“We have received his allegation where contented that his service was illegally terminated to appoint a less qualified candidate in his place. We will conduct an inquiry soon to submit the report to the higher education department”, the zonal director (higher education) Sambalpur Rajalaxmi Mishra said.          

 Kar accused that he was cheated and deprived of his right by the governing body of the college even after serving sincerely for more than 14 years in the institution. According to him, he was appointed in 1995 when the college requires a fresh candidate following an increase of seat in the +3 Arts classes. He continued his service in the college till 2008. But the governing body appointed one Sasmita Pradhan in his place by manipulating the documents. “When I applied documents related to my services through RTI, the college management refused to supply it. I have filed a case against the management before the state commissioner of RTI”, victim Kar said. He alleged that the college management has prepared forge documents to make her appointment prior to him, but the salary book and cash book of the college would reveal the truth.  

On the other hand the principal of the college C R Dash admitted that Kar was working in the institution but he expressed his ignorance about his matter as he joined the institution recently.   “I do not have much knowledge on this issue since I joined the college recently. But from the available documents I came to know that he was terminated as he was kept in a contractual basis” principal Dash said.