Mysuru: A senior citizen has complained about violation of human rights at Karnataka State Open University (KSOU).
R N Sathyanarayana, a resident of Vijayanagara, in Mysuru, said it is a curious case of surrendering one’s important and personal communication gadgets, if one wishes to meet the who’s who of KSOU.
“There is little openess in the Open University, as the visitors are required to ‘surrender’ their mobile phones, before entering the chamber of vice-chancellor and registrars of KSOU,” Sathyanarayana said.
Sathyanarayana has written a complaint in this regard to Principal Secretary for Higher Education (Universities) of Karnataka government; Commissioner of Karnataka State Human Rights Commission and also Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru district.
In the complaint, Sathyanarayana has stated that the general public, office staff, aspirants of jobs, students and their parents are required to ‘leave behind’ their mobile phones before entering the chamber of the VC or registrars of KSOU. “Print outs, giving instructions to this effect, have been pasted at the entrance of the chambers,” he said.
“Entry with mobile phones is restricted to the chambers of the higher authorities. Their personal secretary and security staff are given the responsibility to implement the restriction. When I did not get information for my query, under Right to Information (RTI) Act, I tried to meet the KSOU Registrar on July 18, 2024. His personal secretary and security staff asked me, to leave behind my phone. When I declined to part with my phone, they intercepted me and man-handled me. When I still protested, the registrar’s personal staff communicated the issue to him. He is believed to have asked them, not to allow me to his chamber,” the complaint copy reads.
“When I asked for a copy of the circular of Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms in this regard, the registrar’s office staff said that there is no circular and it is a local rule in the KSOU. Not willing to enter the registrar’s chamber, leaving behind my phone, I returned. No receipt is issued by the registrar’s office staff, for depositing our mobile phones,” the complaint copy states.
“When I spoke to others, waiting to visit the KSOU authorities, they said that the KSOU recruits teaching and non-teaching staff, on contract basis, and there is corruption involved in the process. Thus, the authorities are afraid that the interactions inside the chamber may be recorded and exposed on public domain. They said, there is corruption in admission, administrative and financial matters also, in KSOU and thus the authorities are afraid of being exposed,” Sathyanarayana said in the complaint.
He said, asking the visitors to leave behind their phones is draconian and violation of human rights. “Thus, the government should initiate action against those who are restricting the visitors from carrying their mobile phones,” Sathyanarayana added.