Jai Prakash University. Telegraph picture

Chhapra, Jan. 4: The strike by teaching and non-teaching employees has left the students of Jai Prakash University battered and bruised.

It is now 27 days since normal classes were held at the university. The suspension of administrative operations has jeopardised the examination schedule in the university.

Examinees of postgraduate and bachelors parts I and III examinations, which were supposed to begin tomorrow, are yet to get their forms and admit cards.

The salaries of teaching and non-teaching employees apart from the pension of retired employees have not been paid for the past four months though the university has adequate funds.

The strike by Grade III and Grade IV employees is being blamed for leading to the situation. The vice-chancellor of the university, R.P. Sharma, has also been absent these days.

The employees are staying in the university day and night, cooking their food and pressing for their demands to absorb them. The employees, numbering about 300, and working in different colleges under the university on daily wages for the past 20 to 25 years became hopeful when their agitation yielded a result as a notification to absorb them was issued that was undersigned by registrar Vijay Pratap Kumar on August 11 last year.

Their hopes did not last long, as 13 days later, through a letter dated August 26, another order with the signature of the registrar was issued to the principals of colleges that these employees are not to be allowed to join.

The order said the employees should furnish affidavits, only then will then the matter of their joining would be looked into. One of the employees, Anil Singh, told The Telegraph that even after the employees submitted affidavits, they are being denied the joining.

The university authorities say it has not received the affidavits of the employees. Some of them said two employees, Rajiv Kumar and B.K. Mishra, who were not only absorbed, but were also given promotion.

The president of non-teaching staff and the convener of Samanjan Sammity (Absorption Committee) Bhagwan Rai told The Telegraph that they are agitating since August 9 to vacate the stay order.

They also resorted to fast-unto-death but a truce was reached with the interference of Chhapra sadar sub-divisional officer, deputy superintendent of police and the pro-vice-chancellor.