AIZAWL, Aug 19 - The impasse between the ICFAI University management and its employees took a new turn on Monday, when the university authorities closed down the Mizoram campus, leaving the careers of hundreds of students studying here in jeopardy.
Students and employees were shocked to find the university gate locked when they arrived on Monday morning.
�We did not get any prior information that the campus would be closed down. It�s really shocking to see your university getting abruptly closed when you were happily going there to resume classes after a holiday,� said Nunpuia, a student union leader.
On being asked, the university�s adviser C Dothanga, a retired IAS officer, said he had received instructions from the university registrar on August 15 to lock the gate.
ICFAI University Mizoram has been in a critical situation as its employees have not being paid for three months. Till July 30 this year, five faculty members, including the campus head and deputy controller of examinations, were served termination notices citing �operational reasons�.
The IFCAI Mizoram campus was established following the Chartered Financial Analysts of India University Mizoram Act, 2006 passed by the State Assembly. The university was functioning smoothly until 2010 when the ICFAI Society, claiming financial hardships, proceeded to pull out from its investments in Mizoram. It resulted in the closure of the ICFAI Republic School in 2010, and the Alpha Foundation and ICFAI University Mizoram Lunglei campus in 2011.
In 2012, the ICFAI Society notified the government of Mizoram that it would be unable to continue running the university. It requested the government to close the university. However, pressure from the government rendered the Society to revoke the decision. Since then, there has been tremendous pressure on the faculty and staff to recover the Society�s investment in the university and generate profit.
The students were the main casualty, as tuition fees increased every year. Poor investments in infrastructure exacerbated the situation and compromised the quality of service provided to the students. Around 675 students are currently enrolled in the Mizoram campus.
