A team of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes with a mission to find whether appointments at the Bharahiar University were according to reservation norms went back unable to meet the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar. The team was kept waiting for over an hour.

According to sources, 80 lecturer and professor posts were filled last November. This had led to protests and allegations that the university was flouting reservation rules. There were also charges that postings to non-teaching vacancies such as computer operators and librarians were not based on reservation guidelines.

Complaints were registered by the SC/ST Welfare Association to the NCSC against the university. The first phase of investigation was conducted by commission Assistant Director Murugan a few months ago and the second phase was in Chennai.

When the NCSC team along with Director Mathialagan went to the university as part of the third phase, the office-bearers were made to wait for an hour and then left without meeting the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar. Mathialagan said a letter would be sent to the Vice-Chancellor.

The team later visited Avinashilingam Deemed University, following a police complaint made after protest by teachers and students in 2015.

The matter was taken to court and the NCSC team came to inquire whether proper promotion norms were being followed.

Mathialagan told mediapersons that the commission had received over 1,500 complaints of harassment since June. Necessary steps would be taken, he added.

The team also inspected the facilities at the Ambedkar Adi Dravidar and Tribal Women’s Hostel near Red Fields in the city.