Agartala: A female protesting employee of Tripura Central University was injured on Tuesday after a brief scuffle broke out between private security personnel and protesting outsourced workers on the university campus.
The incident occurred when security guards attempted to clear a passage for Acting Vice-Chancellor Dr Shyamal Das as protesters gheraoed the main administrative building of the university.
Allegations that the university authorities recommended the engagement of four outsourced employees as Daily Rated Workers (DRW) triggered the protest.
The protesting staff said the move was arbitrary and violated the principle of equal opportunity, as the authorities selected only four employees from a pool of 93 outsourced workers engaged at similar levels and on comparable pay scales.
The contractual employees said they had been working at the university for nearly a decade through a third-party agency on fixed remuneration. They argued that appointment as DRWs would place the selected individuals under direct contractual engagement with the university, giving them a distinct employment advantage over others performing similar duties.
The protesters stated that they had no personal objections to considering their colleagues for DRW positions but demanded a transparent and fair process that ensures equal opportunity for all eligible workers.
The agitation began in the morning and continued until around 6.30 pm, with demonstrators surrounding the office of the Acting Vice-Chancellor.
Following the standoff, Dr Das addressed the protesters and clarified that the appointments in question had not yet received approval from the university’s Executive Council.
He reportedly told the workers that, as Acting Vice-Chancellor, he lacked the authority to appoint such a large number of DRW staff and would withdraw the earlier recommendations in view of the protests.
Following this assurance, the protesters called off their agitation.
The post of Vice-Chancellor at Tripura Central University has been vacant since the term of former VC Ganga Prasad Prasain ended last year.
The university has scheduled interviews for the appointment of a permanent Vice-Chancellor on January 9.
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