Hyderabad: Aslam Parvaiz on Tuesday took charge as the new vice chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) and promised to do justice in the wake of continued protests by students over their demands.

Parvaiz, an alumnus of Aligrah Muslim University, took charge from Khwaja M. Shahid, who had been working as the incharge vice chancellor since Mohammad Miyan retired in May this year.

The new vice chancellor later addressed a meeting organized by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) comprising MANUU Teachers Association, Officers Association and Employees Welfare Association. JAC was formed last week against the backdrop of protests and is headed by Abul Kalam, head of the Urdu department. Parvaiz told the faculty, non-teaching staff and students his way will be that of justice.

"With me everyone will get justice. We should keep the interests of the university above our personal preferences and work dedicatedly for its growth." The vice chancellor said that he had been told in certain circles in Delhi that MANUU is plagued with regionalism. "If this is true I urge you to shun it as it would cause hindrance in the growth of the university," he said.

Addressing the students, he said that they needed to work harder and turn in extra excellent performance as the employment market is becoming more and more competitive. "So dedicate yourself to the studies from now," he said.

Prior to his appointment as the vice chancellor, Parvaiz, a botanist, was principal of Delhi's prestigious Zakir Husain College, with which he has been associated for the last three decades.

The students have been protesting on the campus for last few days with several demands including suspension of the chief warden and proctor for negligence of duties. Students allege that the hostels are in a pathetic condition with no renovation work done for a long time.

The students and a section of teachers have also been demanding the resignation of incharge vice chancellor. The university has been plagued by controversies for last few months.

Zafar Sareshwarala, a Gujarati businessman and a close aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was appointed chancellor of the university early this year. His appointment came in for sharp criticism from various quarters. He was reportedly preferred over personalities like Gulzar, Azim Premji, A. M. Ahmadi, Amitabh Bachchan and Wajahat Habibullah suggested by the executive council of the university.

PTI