[ Bengia Ajum ]
NAMSAI, 17 Jan: Days after a lady assistant professor accused the Arunachal University of Studies (AUS) here of harassment at workplace and illegally terminating her job, another former employee of the university has accused the AUS of forcing her to resign after she raised concern over certain issues.
Ainam Pertin had joined the AUS as a lecturer in the English department in September 2021. She alleged that, after joining, she was made to work as a trainer under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), though the authorities had not mentioned the extra responsibility while joining.
When she sought remuneration, she said, the university authorities told her that “first they would register in the DDU-GKY portal. But even after the registration, they did not provide any remuneration for the work I was doing as a trainer.”
“I was fulfilling the responsibilities of two positions on a meagre salary. When I understood the situation, I approached for an increased salary. Ranadip Dutta, domain trainer, DDU-GKY, Namsai, threatened to remove me from the job. They had been targeting since then,” said Pertin.
She claimed that the real problem started when she raised concern over the placement issues concerning the DDU-GKY students.
“During the month of March 2022, the Namsai unit of the DDU-GKY provided placements to the first batch of students in Bengaluru. They promised students of 10,000 minimum salaries and also a good place to stay,” she claimed.
“As I was a trainer in the DDU-GKY programme, the students brought certain issues to me. The students had been told that they would be given placement in a particular company. After reaching Bangalore, there was no certain placement and they were rushed from one place to another for placement. No proper housing facilities were provided. The students informed that around 6-7 of them with no bed and mattress were compelled to stay in one small congested room.
“It took 15 days for the authorities to provide the students with sleeping mattresses,” said Pertin.
When the students wanted to come back home, DDU-GKY FD trainer Hiya Moran contacted the company and asked it to not let the students come back or leave the company, she alleged.
“When I informed the FD trainer about the problems of the students, as she was the main in-charge, instead of trying to resolve the issues, she complained against me to the management, saying that I was instigating the 2nd batch students to drop out from the DDU-GKY programme,” alleged Pertin.
She also alleged that “the percentage of recruitment of tribal faculties is very low in the AUS. They usually don’t prefer tribal faculties until and unless there is no recommendation made from the higher authorities.”
“I took leave on 2nd of July, 2022. On the same day, people from the human resource department of the AUS called me, asking me to resign, and warned that my job would be terminated. Thinking about my career, I resigned from the university,” she said.
Meanwhile, reacting to the allegation, the AUS claimed that Pertin resigned on her own.
“Ainam Pertin had availed more than 25 percent time of working in leave, and most of them were uninformed. From 1 January, 2022 to 18 June, she was on leave for 47 days, most of them without prior intimation, and the students suffered due to it. When the matter was reported to the office of the registrar by her reporting authority, she tendered her resignation, mentioning that she would be unable to manage her work life and personal life.
“In the larger interest of the students, the resignation was accepted,” the AUS stated in a release.
The university also alleged that BPL category APST candidates who were about to complete their training and get employment were instigated by Pertin to opt out of the placement opportunity provided by the university.
“The university was left with no option but to restrain her from entering into the premises of DDU-GKY,” it added.
