Rajendra Prasad, the longest serving principal of any centrally funded institution, according to The Indian Express, will retire today after being at the helm of the Ramjas College for over thirty years.
Prasad will retire as Ramjas College is left grappling with the disturbing events of last week. An invite to Jawaharlal Nehru University student Umar Khalid, accused of sedition last year, sparked violent clashes between students of the All India Students Association (AISA) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), affiliated with the BJP.
Delhi University professor Prasanta Chakravarty, who was allegedly punched and almost strangled by an ABVP mob, suffered several internal injuries.
"My heart bleeds when Ramjas bleeds because I have put in 32 years of blood, sweat and tears to bring Ramjas to its present stature. Tomorrow I retire. I wish for nothing in return except that Ramjas remains peaceful and committed to the glorious future it is destined to set for itself," Prasad told the newspaper.
The Express reported today that Prasad joined Ramjas in 1985, a time when the college had a bad reputation over indiscipline and mismanagement of accounts. It had seen 14 principals come and go in over a decade. Prasad told the newspaper that he learnt from "great personalities" such as "vice-chancellors VKRV Rao, CD Deshmukh, KN Raj."
Prasad also pointed out that the academic culture of Delhi University had deteriorated because of the high number of students. "Earlier, there was a very robust academic culture in DU. That is now missing," he said.
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