Guv re-appoints Mohanan Kunnummal as KUHS VC

Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Thursday re-appointed Mohanan Kunnummal as the Vice Chancellor (VC) of the Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS).

Kunnummal, whose tenure as VC was set to expire on October 25, was re-appointed as VC of KUHS for a period of five years or till he attains the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier, according to the appointment order.

Additionally, Khan, also the Chancellor, also appointed him as the interim VC of the University of Kerala till a VC on a regular basis is appointed there.

Both appointments shall come into effect from October 26.

The Chancellor's decision to re-appoint Kunnummal was criticised by the Federation of University Teachers' Association (FUTA) which termed it as "undemocratic" and "an excessive use of power".

FUTA, in a press release, alleged that the Chancellor's unilateral actions were creating a serious crisis in universities in Kerala.

FUTA president professor Chakrapani and its general secretary S Naseeb said, in the release, that teachers in all universities in Kerala will observe a "black day" on October 25 in protest against the Chancellor's decision.

In an apparent reference to Khan's past criticism of re-appointment of vice-chancellors, they alleged those who see re-appointment of VCs in universities as a crime, cancelled the search committee for the appointment of a new VC in KUHS and reappointed a person of their choice.