Nagpur: Acting tough, the Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU) has sent the ‘blackmailer’ Prof Dharmesh Dhawankar of Mass Communications Department on compulsory leave in the case of alleged extortion from seven heads of departments of the university. He has been sent on leave till January 7, 2023, pending completion of inquiry against him.
The university issued an order in this regard on Friday. Along with this, his entry into the university campus and mass communication department has also been also banned. After the action taken by the university, it is now believed that the police will clamp down on him.
It may be recalled that on the basis of fake complaints, Dhawankar extorted lakhs of rupees from 7 department heads of the university. There was a deal of around Rs 50 lakh. Out of this, Rs 15.50 lakh had been given. Meanwhile, sensing the increasing pressure from Dhawankar, the aggrieved heads of departments complained to the Vice-Chancellor on November 4. After the complaint, the university sought an explanation from Dhawankar. It took about 10 days for the clarification to come, but the Vice-Chancellor had rejected this explanation.
As per the rules, when the explanation is rejected by the administration, in that case the Vice-Chancellor can use his powers and send him on forced leave. On Friday, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Subhash Chowdhary took action using this powers. After the Vice-Chancellor’s order, the Registrar issued the letter and it was handed over to Dhawankar sitting in the department. Now the investigation process will also be completed.
During the leave, Dhawankar cannot come to the University, Campus and Public Relations Department. For this, it will be mandatory for him to take the approval of the Vice-Chancellor. After sending on compulsory leave, now the police investigation against him will also speed up. Although no complaint has been made by the university to the police so far, investigation can be done on the basis of the complaint of the aggrieved professors.
