MSU prof who spread ‘itching herb’ on V-C’s chair suspended

Ghanshyam Solanki retracts confession made before police, gets bail from court.

Even as a local court in Vadodara Tuesday granted bail to a senior member of the law faculty of MS University, Ghanshyam Solanki, for allegedly spraying an itch-causing herb on the chair of vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh, the university suspended him and constituted an inquiry committee to look into the matter.

University authorities said an internal inquiry committee has been set up to look into the allegations that Solanki, an associate professor and head of department of university's law faculty, laced a chair used by Singh at a function with kuvech, a herb that causes irritation when it comes in contact with human skin.

The V-C complained of irritation soon after occupying the chair at the national seminar on Right to Education (RTE) on Saturday last week, following which he was forced to leave the seminar hall. Gujarat High Court judge Sonia Gokani was the chief guest at the event.

"We suspended professor Ghanshyam Solanki this morning, pending inquiry. We have constituted a three-member inquiry committee to find out the motive behind his action, which he has confessed to the police, and establish his role in the incident," MSU registrar Amit Dholakia said.

"We would also like to find out if other people were also involved to settle scores with the V-C," he said.

The committee, comprising head of department of economics Arti Nanavati, former dean of faculty of management studies G C Maheshwari, and registrar Amit Dholakia, is expected to submit report within 2-3 weeks, he said.

In his confession to the police, which he later retracted before the court, Solanki reportedly said he had laced a chair used at the seminar with the herb but his target was dean of the law faculty, S S Bhattacharya, and not the V-C.

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