The Lok Bhavan Karnataka, the Governor’s office, has written to the State government for the second time requesting it to lift the freeze on the bank accounts of the Karnataka State Open University (KSOU), Mysuru.

The accounts were frozen after the varsity hosted an event ‘Ekatma Manava Darshan-Bharat’s World View” in March marking 60 years of Hindutva ideologue Deendayal Upadhyaya’s lectures for three days on the KSOU campus and the Vice-Chancellor was in the hosting committee.

In his letter, R. Prabhu Shankar, Special Secretary to Governor, said that the Governor and Chancellor of the university has been made aware that the Branch Manager, State Bank of India (SBI) has informed the university that all the bank accounts of the university have been debit freezed in compliance with the directions issued by the government.

“As observed earlier, the direction assumes the character of a premature, punitive, and disproportionate measure, which has the effect of paralysing the functioning of the university. Freezing of bank accounts directly impacts academic activities, payment of salaries, disbursement of scholarships, and discharge of statutory obligations, thereby seriously prejudicing the interests of students, faculty, and the public at large,” he said.

He asked the government to withdraw the communication issued to the bank and send an action taken report in compliance with the direction of the Governor at the earliest.

This issue was raised by the Congress legislators in the Legislative Council, following which the Higher Education Department had issued a show-cause notice to the Vice-Chancellor Sharanappa V. Halse. Deeming the reply given by the Vice-Chancellor as satisfactory, the department communicated to the banks where the university has accounts and requested to freeze them.

Earlier, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot had also written to Higher Education Minister M.C. Sudhakar directing it to initiate measures to lift the freeze on the bank accounts.