Purbanchal University Vice Chancellor Maheshwor Man Shrestha retired on Friday after holding the office for four years, a period marked by a corruption scandal, student protests, internal power struggles, and litigation for him. It is noteworthy that Shrestha did not receive any official farewell from his colleagues, a sign that his tenure was not celebrated.
Besides shifting its office to its building at Pushpalal Chowk, the university has nothing to show that could be called an achievement during Shrestha's tenure.
Shrestha's relationship with the university's registrar, Niroj Pandey, had deteriorated to the point that they were no longer speaking to each other. Both Shrestha and Pandey, along with several other university officials, were indicted on corruption charges by the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) in the past. Shrestha's reinstatement as the university vice-chancellor after the court gave him a clean chit in April this year was a source of further controversy.
Shrestha's four-year tenure was tainted by a corruption scandal in the first year, protracted student protests in the second, conflict with Pandey, and litigation in the third and fourth years. Employees and professors were divided into different factions during his tenure.
A university source said the educational calendar was not formulated, nor was the workforce developed during this period. "He looted the Purbanchal University in the past four years," he said.
Acting VC Sambhu Koirala said that Shrestha became the most controversial figure in the history of Purbanchal University. Shrestha was nominated for the VC job from the UCPN (Maoist) quota.
