Lecturer bribing a rowdy-sheeter to get VC’s post is a University’s shame
This seems absurd. A lecturer pays a bribe to get the top post of a university, an institution responsible for shaping our society. And who does he bribe? A rowdy-sheeter who is involved in several criminal cases. The recent incident in which the lecturer of a science department paid a bribe of Rs 17 lakh to rowdy sheeter Prasad Attavar to occupy the top post in his university has come under the scanner and is being discussed extensively. The accused has already been arrested but people are confused about who should be condemned. A rowdy sheeter’s job is to accept bribes and extort money from the gullible. As is his wont, he cheated this lecturer as well.
More than this, the most alarming aspect is the fact that a lecturer who has to mould the future citizens and become a role model attempted to occupy the top-most post in a university by bribing a rowdy-sheeter. This rowdy-sheeter does not only have a criminal background but is also notorious for disturbing the peace and harmony in the name of religion. The fact that a lecturer has such criminals as his friends is itself questionable but society should be more concerned that this lecturer tried to purchase the vice-chancellor’s post. Renowned thinker Dr. Nagaraj writes: “The way politicians view officials with suspicion, we need to look at teachers also with suspicion.” Society does not suspect lecturers the way it suspects politicians, officials, or journalists.
Of late, doctors are also facing criticism and are being attacked by the public. But society still regards teachers with a lot of respect and believes that they will take society forward in the right direction. But now the situation has changed. Like politicians, officials, seers, lecturers are also becoming dangerous. Society seems to have adopted a lenient stand towards lecturers who don’t appear dangerous unlike politicians or police officials who wield unbridled power. But today, lecturers and teachers are successfully sowing seeds of intolerance and divisiveness among students in colleges and schools. Students who are on the threshold of entering public life with an open mind are being prepared to imbibe the seeds of hatred sown by politicians. Sangha Parivar and RSS leaders are entering schools and are teaching small children hatred in the name of patriotism and teachers are silently supporting them. The number of teachers and lecturers who are teaching RSS’s caste politics instead of teaching children secular values is increasing.
Many a time, lecturers are mere puppets who inevitably agree with everything politicians say fearing harassment, transfers, and other everyday struggles. The recent incident in Kokkada is an excellent example. A headmaster had to face the ire of a Sangh Parivar leader who attacked him for sending children for mid-day meals at the inauguration of a local mosque. In an audio clip that went viral, the headmaster was heard apologizing before the Sangh Parivar leader and defending the acts of Sangh Parivar. This reveals how criminals along with the education department are trying to mislead the society. We are living in a society in which teachers who have to guide and correct the rotten apples in society are in fact agreeing with them and tendering apologies. And politicians are directly responsible for this. Such criminals have now become a bridge between politicians and society.
During elections, party workers with criminal antecedents are sought to create fear, indulge in arson, and mar the peace and harmony of society. Post elections, politicians have to give in to the demand of these elements. Usually, police and teachers use these mediators as a bridge with politicians for their transfers and promotions. In the same vein, the common man fears that if they are antagonised, they would be incurring the displeasure of politicians as well.
The reason why the Ramsene leader was bribed for the vice-chancellor’s post is that he was seen or identified with several politicians. Offering bribe to obtain a lucrative posting is a criminal act. Depending on a criminal to obtain a top-post in a university is a shame on the values for which a university stands for. The incident also shows the depths to which universities have sunk. If such criminals control educational institutions, what can the country expect of students who learn at these institutions? If lecturers go after criminals and politicians, what then will be the situation of students? The arrested criminal should be investigated about how many more people he has cheated. Universities must be made free of criminal connection and politics, and the dignity of these hallow portals of education upheld.
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Texas halts H-1B visas at state universities, agencies; to affect Indians
Houston (US) (PTI): Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered state agencies and public universities to immediately halt new H-1B visa petitions, tightening hiring rules at taxpayer-funded institutions, a step likely to impact Indian professionals.
The freeze will remain in effect through May 2027.
The directive issued on Tuesday said that the state agencies and public universities must stop filing new petitions unless they receive written approval from the Texas Workforce Commission.
The governor's order, in a red state that is home to thousands of H-1B visa holders, comes as the Trump administration has initiated steps to reshape the visa programme.
“In light of recent reports of abuse in the federal H-1B visa programme, and amid the federal government’s ongoing review of that programme to ensure American jobs are going to American workers, I am directing all state agencies to immediately freeze new H-1B visa petitions as outlined in this letter,” Abbot said.
Institutions must also report on H-1B usage, including numbers, job roles, countries of origin, and visa expiry dates, the letter said.
US President Donald Trump on September 19 last year signed a proclamation ‘Restriction on entry of certain non-immigrant workers’ that restricted the entry into the US of those workers whose H-1B petitions are not accompanied or supplemented by a payment of USD 1,00,000.
The H1-B visa fee of USD 1,00,000 would be applicable only to new applicants, i.e. all new H-1B visa petitions submitted after September 21, including those for the FY2026 lottery.
Indians make up an estimated 71 per cent of all approved H-1B applications in recent years, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), with China in the second spot. The major fields include technology, engineering, medicine, and research.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is the second-highest beneficiary with 5,505 approved H-1B visas in 2025, after Amazon (10,044 workers on H-1B visas), according to the USCIS. Other top beneficiaries include Microsoft (5,189), Meta (5,123), Apple (4,202), Google (4,181), Deloitte (2,353), Infosys (2,004), Wipro (1,523) and Tech Mahindra Americas (951).
Texas public universities employ hundreds of foreign faculty and researchers, many from India, across engineering, healthcare, and technology fields.
Date from Open Doors -- a comprehensive information resource on international students and scholars studying or teaching at higher education institutions in the US -- for 2022-2023 showed 2,70,000 students from India embarked on graduate and undergraduate degrees in US universities, accounting for 25 per cent of the international student population in the US and 1.5 per cent of the total student population.
Indian students infuse roughly USD 10 billion annually into universities and related businesses across the country through tuition and other expenses – while also creating around 93,000 jobs, according to the Open Doors data.
Analysts warn the freeze could slow recruitment of highly skilled professionals, affecting academic research and innovation.
Supporters say the directive protects local jobs, while critics caution it could weaken Texas’ competitiveness in higher education and research.
The order comes amid broader debate in the US over skilled immigration and state-level interventions in federal programmes.
H-1B visas allow US companies to hire technically-skilled professionals that are not easily available in America. Initially granted for three years, these can be extended for another three years.
In September 2025, Trump had also signed an executive order ‘The Gold Card’, aimed at setting up a new visa pathway for those committed to supporting the United States; with individuals who can pay USD 1 million to the US Treasury, or USD 2 million if a corporation is sponsoring them, to get access to expedited visa treatment and a path to a Green Card.
