Gaya: The four-month-old Patliputra University has ordered closure of Magadh University's Patna branch office, virtually declaring war against its parent.

The branch office is located on the premises now owned by Magadh University's new offshoot. Patliputra University was carved out of MU in March this year.

Through a letter dated July 13, branch office head A.K. Ghosh informed Magadh University vice-chancellor (VC) Prof Qamar Ahsan that the Patliputra University registrar called him to his office on Friday and asked him to shut down the office from July 14.

In case the office was not shut, officials, employees and students would not be allowed to enter the premises now owned by Patliputra University, he was told.

Prof Ahsan called it a really unfortunate development. "Patliputra University students will be the real sufferers as a result of this decision," Ahsan said. "Records concerning exam, registration and migration of students from Patna and Nalanda district colleges of pre-bifurcation MU are kept in the branch office. Records of court cases pending in the high court are also kept in the branch office and the high court will be informed about this development."

Magadh University, according to the vice-chancellor, was looking for a rented accommodation in Patna to relocate its branch office.

But the process requires time and the former registrar kept the file concerned pending. "Tenders for rented accommodation in Patna for relocation of the MU branch office have been floated," Ahsan said.

MU authorities are learnt to have lodged an informal complaint with Raj Bhavan on the manner in which the attempt was made to force closure of MU's branch office.

The MU registrar has written to his Patliputra counterpart, expressing the university's inability to vacate the premises at so short a notive.

The registrar has sought three months time to make an alternative arrangement.

Earlier, PU had threatened to terminate teaching and non-teaching employees deputed in MU's offices if they did not report back to their parent institutions, attached to Patliputra University. June 30 was set as the deadline for such employees to report back. The letter, originally addressed to the MU registrar, says that such employees have to be relieved from MU latest by June 30, before the formal commencement of the 2018-19 academic session. "This may be treated as most urgent," read the last line of the letter.