Kalyani University (KU) authorities have issued a show cause notice to professor Alok Kumar Ghosh, former head of the history department, for interacting with The Statesman, which had carried a report, ‘Irregularities in KU distance MA exam’ on 19 February. The KU professor was also the chairman of the board of studies that looks after setting of question papers in the university.

KU Registrar Professor Debansu Ray issued the show-cause notice to professor Ghosh on 25 February seeking the latter’s clarifications for giving statements to the newspaper violating university rules and regulations.

Sources in the KU said that professor Ghosh in his written reply to the show-cause notice has denied the charge of violating any rules and regulations of the university in giving statements to the newspaper.

“I reiterate that I have never violated any ‘lawful order’ of the University Authorities, definitely not the above referred one. I have also sincerely followed the rules of the state Government of West Bengal, the Government of India and above all directives of the Honourable Supreme Court of India,” according to professor Ghosh’s reply to the notice.

Professor Ghosh in his letter written to the registrar also the Supreme Court directives that clearly recognises the fundamental rights of the freedom of speech and expression of any citizen of India.

Large-scale alleged irregularities in connection with the MA (part I and II) examination under the directorate of open and distance learning (DODL) of KU had rocked the university last week against the backdrop of the regular leakage of question papers of the Madhyamik examination conducted by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE). The irregularities in conducting the exam had prompted the KU professor to resign as the head of the board.

“I resigned as the head of the board of studies on 14 February because I was not satisfied with the system going on in the DODL in the university,” Professor Ghosh had told The Statesman.

The move to issue the show-cause to a senior faculty member like Professor Ghosh has created resentment among his colleagues and other teachers in the institute.

Prof. Ray is said to have issued the notice to professor Alok Ghosh on the instructions of the university vice-chancellor, Prof. Shankar Ghosh. “The university authorities are still sitting idle when it comes to probing the irregularities in connection with the MA exam under DODL.

Unfortunately, the authorities are proactive to take steps against professor Ghosh for a trivial issue of interacting with media,” felt a senior teacher of the university.

Professor Ray refused to comment when this correspondent contacted him on Tuesday.