Orders to freeze bank accounts of varsities in Bihar revoked
Patna (PTI): The Bihar Education Department withdrew its controversial orders freezing bank accounts of most of the state universities and withholding salaries of vice-chancellors and other officials for failure to comply with its directions.
The department’s move came in the backdrop of recent Patna High Court orders in this regard.
In a missive to VCs of all state-run universities on Wednesday, Baidya Nath Yadav, Secretary (Education department), said, "The department has decided to withdraw its earlier orders of freezing accounts of various state-run universities... following the recent orders of the Patna High Court."
The high court last month directed the department to take "no coercive action" against state universities and its officials till further order while directing that withholding salary of officials and freezing accounts of varsities "be kept in abeyance".
The education department in March had ordered freezing of the bank accounts of all the state-run universities, barring one, and withheld salaries of their vice-chancellors for allegedly remaining absent in a review meeting convened by the department in the last week of February this year.
The department had issued letters to all VCs barring Kameshwar Singh of Darbhanga Sanskrit University, asking them to clarify why they did not attend the meeting to discuss the status of pending examinations and other issues.
In a related development, Bihar Governor Rajendra V Arlekar on Wednesday reminded the state education department that it was duty-bound to provide "adequate funds" to state universities.
The governor, who is also chancellor of state-run varsities, said this at a meeting in presence of Education Minister Sunil Kumar, who expressed hope that "team spirit" would bring about the much-needed improvement in higher learning.
According to a statement issued by the Raj Bhavan on Wednesday, the governor also directed VCs to prepare a road map for the academic development in the respective universities and the latter should also work hard to develop their institutions as centres of excellence.
The governor said that there should be separate deans in all universities, one for academics and another for research, said the statement.
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Women journalists face doubling of online abuse since 2020, AI intensifies harassment: report
New Delhi: Incidents of online violence against women journalists have doubled since 2020, with growing use of artificial intelligence intensifying the scale and impact of abuse, according to a new report released ahead of World Press Freedom Day.
The study is titled “Tipping point: Online violence impacts, manifestations and redress in the AI age.” It is published by UN Women and its partners and highlights how digital harassment has become more invasive and technologically sophisticated.
The study is based on a 2025 global survey covering 641 respondents across 119 countries. The report found that women journalists and media workers are increasingly resorting to self-censorship due to online abuse. Around 45 per cent said they avoid expressing themselves on social media, which is a sharp rise from 2020. Nearly 22 per cent reported limiting their professional work for similar reasons.
The findings also indicate that 12 per cent of respondents have experienced non-consensual sharing of personal images, including intimate content, and six per cent reported being targeted by AI-generated “deepfakes.” One in three said they had received unsolicited sexual advances online.
The report highlights the psychological toll of such harassment, noting that nearly a quarter of women journalists surveyed had been diagnosed with anxiety or depression, while about 13 per cent reported post-traumatic stress disorder.
An environmental journalist from India, quoted in the report, described how coordinated online attacks and misinformation campaigns had led to fear and withdrawal from investigative reporting, and the repercussions extending to family members.
However, as the abuse has increased, so too has the number of women journalists reporting such incidents. The percentage of women journalists approaching law enforcement agencies has doubled from 11 per cent to 22 per cent in 2025 compared with 2020. The report also shows an increase in legal action against perpetrators, technology platforms, and employers.
However, the report points to significant gaps in legal protection. It presents data that fewer than 40 per cent of countries have laws addressing cyber harassment or stalking. Kalliopi Mingerou, who leads efforts to end violence against women at UN Women, said emerging technologies are amplifying existing threats. “AI is making abuse easier and more damaging,” she said, warning that the trend risks undermining democratic participation and hard-won rights.
The report can be accessed at https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2026/04/tipping-point-online-violence-impacts-manifestations-and-redress-in-the-ai-age
