The appointment of Dr, Gurpreet Singh Wander as the new vice-chancellor by state minisrer Bhagwant Mann was rejected on Tuesday by Punjab governor Banwari Lal Purohit, who serves as the chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Science (BFUHS).
As an alternative, Purohit asked a panel of three candidates to choose the vice-chancellor. This procedure had been approved by the Bhagwant Mann administration, and on September 30, the chief minister announced Dr. Wander’s nomination as the BFUHS V-C on Twitter.
The change comes two days after the governor objected to Mann’s absence from the reception held at Chandigarh’s Punjab Raj Bhavan in honour of President Droupadi Murmu, stating that such events require the fulfilment of constitutional commitments. The governor’s withdrawal of an order calling for a special assembly session to consider a confidence motion last month sparked a dispute with the AAP government. When Purohit inquired about the legislative matters that will be discussed during the envisioned session on September 27, the disagreements grew more intense. While the opposition Congress walked out, the AAP administration highlighted additional firms before introducing and passing the vote of confidence.
After Dr. Raj Bahadur resigned in protest of being forced to lie down on a dirty bed during an inspection by state health health minister Chetan Singh Jauramajra, the position of vice-chancellor became vacant in July. The chief minister’s office asked Dr. Bahadur to stay on as vice-chancellor, but he refused, so the government accepted his resignation and began searching for a new vice-chancellor.
A senior Punjab government official confirmed that the governor has sought a panel of at least three candidates for the post by forming a select committee.
The former Parkash Singh Badal-led SAD-BJP administration had submitted three names for the position when Dr. Raj Bahadur was named BFUHS V-C.
Dr. Wander currently oversees the department of cardiology at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital in Ludhiana and serves as the institute’s coordinator for the Hero DMC Heart Institute.