The principal of a college in Madhya Pradesh has been put under suspension reportedly because he chose to invite Jyotiraditya Scindia, the Member of Parliament from the area, as the special guest for a function hosted by the institution.
The suspension order of BL Ahirwar, the Principal of a government college located in Mungaoli area of Ashoknagar district, clearly states that the action has been taken against him because he had invited “Congress leaders”.
Mr Ahirwar on Thursday said: “Scindia wanted to interact with the students of the college. As he is the MP from our area, so as per rules he could have been invited…and we invited him. But the very next day I received the suspension order.”
According to the Principal, who is Dalit, although the suspension order does not mention the name of Mr Scindia, it does does talk about “Congress leaders” coming to the college to attend the function.
“If some Congress leaders also accompanied Scindia, how am I to blame? There were no party banners or posters at the venue. I have fallen prey to the ongoing political war here.”
In a series of tweets, Mr Scindia also on Thursday criticised the principal’s suspension. “The action against the head of an institution without any prior notice or a justifiable reason was reflective of the anti-Dalit mentality of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government,” he wrote on Twitter.
He said he wondered whether inviting the MP of the area to a college was such a big crime crime that the principal of the institution should face suspension.
