Teachers miffed as Mumbai University orders election duty

Teachers of the Mumbai University are miffed with the varsity administration because they have been assigned election duty, in spite of not receiving any directives from the collector's office to do so.

The university through a circular, has instructed 144 assistant professors from various departments such as English, Sociology, Journalism, etc. to report for the election duty. However, these teachers have not been assigned poll duties by the collector's office.

"Mumbai University has breached the authority by asking us to attend election duty. It is the collector, who is the nodal body and can instruct us to report for the duty. All the non-teaching staff has received letters from the collector's office. However, we have been instructed by a university circular, which is technically wrong," said a senior professor on condition of anonymity.

The professors are also upset about the threatening tone of the circular. The circular reads: "Failure to comply with this order and the instructions given will render you liable for disciplinary action under section 134 of Representation of the People Act, 1951."

MA Khan, registrar of the MU, however, said that the university had issued the list on directives of the district election officer, Mumbai suburban district. "The teachers have to follow the instructions since we have been directed to issue the list by the district election officer. They too are short staffed. We have just issued it on their behalf. The teachers should not have raised this problem as they are bound to abide by the instructions of the university," said Khan.