DHE comes striking on Cachar College Principal's dictatorship; Orders him to not engage teachers in subjects "non-relevant" to the dept

On April 25, 2022, Cachar College Principal, Dr. Siddhartha Sankar Nath issued an order urging three teachers to participate in what he calls the “Interdisciplinary academic practice”. As a part of the practice, he asked three teachers to attend departmental meetings and discussions on those subjects that are totally irrelevant to them.

One of the three teachers happened to be Nayana Goswami, Asst. Prof. Deptt. of Sanskrit and the Principal ordered her to be attached to the Deptt. of History. She refused to volunteer as that was not her area of interest. Moreover, it was a disrespect to the repute of the prestigious college to ask a non-expert to teach the subject meant to be taught by the experts recruited after a rigorous process.

Nayana Goswami is a professor who joined the College to teach Sanskrit, why would she be forced to teach History?

This is a question that was asked to the Principal and he got irked as the great dictator does when his orders are questioned. Dr. Siddhartha Sankar Nath, as per sources, tried to make life difficult for Goswami. The matter was informed to the Assam College Teachers Association as well as to the Director of Higher Education.

Upset by the chain of events at the College and how a mockery was being made of her academic career, Nayana Goswami submitted a petition before the Director of Higher Education.

On September 8, in response to the petition, the DHE of Assam, Dharma Kanta Mili wrote to the Principal of Cachar College, Dr. Siddhartha Sankar Nath. In the letter to the Principal, DHE writes, “In inviting a reference to the subject (Regarding allotment of classes), I would like to state that one Nayana Goswami, Asst. Professor, Department Of Sanskrit of your college, has submitted a petition regarding repeated forceful allotment of classes in the non-relevant department.”

The letter further reads, “In this regard, it may be stated here that as Nayana Goswami is an Asst. Professor in the Department of Sanskrit, she should not be engaged in other subjects which is non-relevant to her department. This is for your information and necessary action.

What remains astonishing is that the abysmal acts of the Principal, exposed one after another are hardly fetching any attention of the public representatives of Silchar who are a constituent of the College by virtue of their chair. Also, why is the Governing Body president witnessing all the wrongdoings like a mere spectator? Isn’t it a matter of great shame for Silchar that a DHE is compelled to write to the Principal in order to bring the house in order? Cachar College that once featured in the headlines for delivering state toppers is now in shambles! Making headlines almost every day…