Mysuru: Govt cancels RSS-linked conference at KSOU citing protocol violation
Mysuru: The Karnataka government has cancelled a three-day academic conference on Deendayal Upadhyaya’s philosophy that was scheduled to be held at Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) from March 25 to 27, citing violation of rules and protocol.
According to The Indian Express, the event, titled “Ekatma Manava Darshan- Bharat’s Worldview,” was to be organised in association with Prajna Pravah and the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation, organisations reportedly linked to the RSS.
The Higher Education Department had issued a show-cause notice to KSOU Vice-Chancellor Sharanappa V Halase on March 23, seeking an explanation. Halase had said the university had merely rented out the venue and was not involved in organising the event.
However, the government rejected his explanation while ordering the cancellation. “You were informed that it was a private event and not a university event. But in the invitation letter, it is stated that KSOU was the hosting university and the logo of the university was used. Also, it shows that you are presiding over the event. There are no valid reasons to accept your justification,” it read.
In the letter to the vice-chancellor, N Kumar, Deputy Secretary (Universities), said the Governor had already constituted a single-member inquiry into alleged administrative and financial irregularities at KSOU. “The fact that permission was granted to a private organisation to hold an event at the very time this committee’s inquiry is ongoing is wholly inappropriate”.
“The purpose and subject matter of this conference are contrary to the objectives and mission of the university. Permission granted to a private organisation’s event in violation of government guidelines, rules, and protocol cannot be accepted. For the above said reasons, the Ekata Manav Darshan international conference is cancelled with immediate effect in the university premises,” the order stated.
The conference was to be inaugurated by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, with Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan scheduled to deliver a special lecture.
Defending the decision, Higher Education Minister M C Sudhakar reportedly said public universities must remain apolitical. Referring to the organisers, he said it was “shocking” that the university had associated itself with what he described as an intellectual wing of the RSS. He said that the vice-chancellor’s involvement sent a “wrong message.”
Organisers, however, said preparations were already complete. Dr Punith Raj K N, a member of the organising committee, said KSOU was only a venue partner, and rent had been paid. “More than 500 delegates from across the country have already reached Mysuru. If they want to remove the KSOU logo, we are ready to do it. We are discussing with the government and are hopeful that the event will be held as per the schedule,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Opposition BJP criticised the decision, accusing the government of suppressing academic discourse.
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'He is in a happy place now': Harish Rana's last rites conducted, family to donate his organs
Ghaziabad (UP) (PTI): Don't cry, he is in a happy place now, the parents of Harish Rana, the first person in India to be permitted passive euthanasia, said on Wednesday as they bid farewell to their son one last time.
Harish's last rites were conducted at the Green Park cremation ground in South Delhi on Wednesday morning, marking a quiet end to his 13-year ordeal.
In a final act of generosity, Harish's family consented to donate five of his organs.
The 31-year-old man passed away on Tuesday after slipping into a coma in 2013, following a fall from a fourth-floor balcony while he was a B.Tech student at Panjab University.
During the last rites, Harish's mother bid an emotional farewell to her son with folded hands and met those present, while his father Ashok Rana urged mourners not to cry, a neighbour told PTI over the phone.
Residents who attended the cremation described the atmosphere as deeply emotional. Tejas Chaturvedi, a resident of the Raj Empire Society, noted that many attendees were moved to tears during the ceremony. However, Ashok Rana continued to console others and encouraged them to remain strong in their moment of grief.
"Let no one weep. I am praying that my son may depart in peace. Wherever he is born next, may he receive God's blessings," he said.
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajai Rai, who visited the cremation ground to pay his respects, told PTI that the family had confirmed donation of five of Harish's organs. "Harish might be gone, but he will continue to live on through the beneficiaries of his organ donation. The family has set an example before the entire nation," Rai told PTI over the phone.
Family members, along with representatives of the Brahma Kumaris, a spiritual movement led by women, attended the cremation to offer their prayers for Harish. Residents from the Raj Empire Society in Ghaziabad, where the Rana family lives, also came to show their support, joining a diverse group of NGOs, AIIMS staff, relatives, and friends.
Harish's body was transported to the cremation ground in an ambulance, and the platform was covered in rose petals. Many mourners paid their last respects with folded hands, and some placed saffron garlands on the body before it was laid upon the pyre. Ashish Rana, Harish's younger brother, lit the pyre, accompanied by his sister, Bhavna.
Sister Lovely of the Brahma Kumaris, who has been associated with the family and travelled to the cremation ground, said that meditative chants were performed during the last rites. "The body is leaving the mortal world, but the soul is immortal and has begun a new journey," she said.
"The family decided to donate Harish's eyes," Sister Lovely told PTI.
Additionally, Sister Lovely shared that a 'bhog' (offering) and prayer ritual will be held by the Brahma Kumaris in the coming days, where food items that Harish enjoyed will be prepared. "Harish could not eat for over a decade. Now the soul is free. In a symbolic gesture, we will offer the food that his body loved," she said.
Earlier, neighbours and well-wishers spoke of the family's unwavering commitment to caring for Harish despite the emotional and financial challenges they faced over the years. His parents, Ashok Rana and Nirmala Devi, described the decision to allow passive euthanasia as "extremely painful but necessary."
According to sources, the family is scheduled to return to their Ghaziabad residence after completing the last rites and related rituals.
Harish was shifted to the palliative care unit at AIIMS Delhi earlier this month from his Ghaziabad home following a landmark Supreme Court order permitting the withdrawal of life support for him. He passed away on Tuesday.
The apex court had clarified that passive euthanasia in his case would involve withdrawal of artificial nutrition, such as the feeding tube, while continuing palliative care to allow a natural death with dignity. Medical boards had concluded that his condition was irreversible.
