Vijayawada: Allegations of high-handed behaviour by newly appointed Adikavi Nannaya University (ANU) vice-chancellor S. Prasanna Sree have sparked criticism, with senior faculty members accusing her of targeting colleagues and publicly humiliating them, which they claim is derailing academic activities.Faculty members allege that the VC has been issuing threats of disciplinary action over minor issues, often belittling senior professors in front of students. A senior English faculty member was recently removed from the department and reassigned as a hostel warden, sparking discontent.Accusations of nepotism have also surfaced, with claims that a relative of the VC has been appointed as guest faculty at the university’s PG centre in Kakinada. Meanwhile, the Department of Political Science currently has no faculty, reportedly because the VC instructed the ad hoc staff not to report to work after allegations of misconduct.A senior professor said, “It is unfair for the VC to behave in this manner with senior faculty members in public. Students are now taking sides, with some sending messages of sympathy while others are spreading abusive remarks, taking advantage of the situation.”Faculty members argue that while the state government is aiming to bring AP universities into the top 100 in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), ANU’s focus has shifted away from academics and research, and instead towards authoritarian practices that ignore ground realities.There are also concerns that some staff are being encouraged to act as informants, secretly recording conversations between faculty and students in libraries and departments to falsely attribute motives—causing unease on campus.Further, it is alleged that the VC has even sought legal advice on how to terminate ad hoc or temporary staff who are not in her favour.When contacted, ANU VC Prasanna Sree said, “We are all working together. There are some sensitive issues between students and faculty which we are trying to resolve. We will arrange faculty for the Political Science department from other PG centres to help students prepare for exams.”Senior faculty members are now seeking the intervention of the education minister to restore academic focus and improve research standards at ANU.The university currently has 22 regular and 135 ad hoc faculty members, 1,800 students, two PG centres in Kakinada and Tadepalligudem, seven constituent colleges, and 392 affiliated colleges.
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