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| Governor opposed Prof Hari Om for his book on Amarnath land row? | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, May 21: Governor, N N Vohra was not "happy with Prof Hari Om" whom the University of Jammu offered the prestigious Maharaja Gulab Singh Chair in October 2007 recognizing his "academic attainment and contribution". This is what sources in the University of Jammu reveal on condition of anonymity. The credit for establishing Maharaja Gulab Singh Chair goes to Dr Karan Singh, former Governor Lt Gen (Retd) S K Sinha, former Vice-Chancellor of Jammu University Prof R R Sharma and Secretary Maharaja Gulab Singh Memorial Trust Brigadier J S Rajput. Earlier, Prof Hari Om had held several positions in the University of Jammu, including Head of Department, Dean Faculty of Social Sciences, Member Syndicate and Convener Board of Studies and served the Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi, for more than six years as its member. He had also served the NCERT, New Delhi, as Professor and looked after and got completed a history project. Prof Hari Om has written several books and contributed research papers to a number of prestigious journals, including Indian Defence Review.
Sources in the university reveal that the Governor N N Vohra, who was already "annoyed" with Prof Hari Om for his "role" during the Amarnath land row, got further "infuriated" when Prof Hari Om wrote a comprehensive book on the Amarnath land row, titled Jammu and Kashmir: Conflicting Perceptions. The book was "highly critical" of N N Vohra and "threw light on the Governor's views on Kashmir and his role during those days of agitation in Jammu in 2008 which made the Congress-led coalition government withdraw the government order under which the state government had diverted a small piece of land at Baltal (Kashmir) to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board on "temporary basis" during the yatra period for creating additional facilities for the Amarnath yatris". Mr. Vohra had said immediately after taking over as Governor on June 25, 2008 that the Shrine Board didn't require land at Baltal, a proposal that had provoked a sort of revolt in Jammu and elsewhere with those spearheading the agitation demanding his immediate removal from Raj Bhawan saying he had "vitiated" the holy Amarnath yatra by "making common cause with the opponents of land diversion".
Prof Hari Om wrote book on Amarnath land row as Chair Professor Maharaja Gulab Singh Chair, after "informing" the then Vice-Chancellor Prof Amitabh Mattoo and Dr Karan Singh, who controlled the Maharaja Gulab Singh Memorial Trust. The book was released in December 2009 in the University of Jammu itself. Sources inform that "it was perhaps at the behest of Governor Vohra", who is also Chancellor of the University of Jammu, that "a committee was constituted to review the book". The committee, according to sources in Jammu University, was headed by "Prof Siddiq Wahid", who served the University of Jammu as Chair Professor, Maharaja Gulab Singh Chair, for some eight months when Prof Hari Om was Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, and Head of History Department. It is still not known as to what the report of Wahid contains. However, sources point out that Siddiq Wahid was "critical" of Prof Hari Om.
Sources further inform that Siddiq Wahid "did nothing whatsoever as Chair Professor and, instead, visited several foreign countries, including Pakistan, to participate in anti-India seminars on Kashmir, without informing Head of the History Department or without seeking permission from the Vice-Chancellor". Since Prof Wahid had been "flouting leave rules, the University authorities did not release his salary for months". "Prof Mattoo released his salary only after Prof Hari Om relinquished the office of Head of History Department," reliable sources inform. "Prof Mattoo and Prof Wahid were close to each other and were known for their PUGWASH link". Significantly, the then political establishment "rewarded Siddiq Wahid for what he had done to promote the separatists' cause". He was appointed as Vice-Chancellor of Islamic University, Awantipora, (Kashmir). Sources also inform that "Governor Vohra was not only angry with Prof Hari Om but also angry with Jammu University Vice-Chancellor Prof Varun Sahni because Prof Sahni had recommended one-year extension in favour of Prof Hari Om in consultation with the authorities in the Maharaja Gulab Singh Memorial Trust". Sources further inform that "Governor Vohra has always tried to interfere in the day-to-day functioning of the University of Jammu" and "his negative attitude towards Prof Hari Om was nothing but a manifestation of his determination to stifle academic freedom". |
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