DSU’s oath plan prompts CU VC to cancel ceremony

Kozhikode: The vice-chancellor of Calicut University cancelled Department Students Union's (DSU) oath ceremony and walked out on Thursday after office-bearers, affiliated to SFI, intended to take the oath in the name of martyrs. Vice-chancellor P Raveendran cancelled the event and walked out in protest against the attempts to administer an oath that deviated from the university's prescribed format.The trouble began when DSU office-bearers tried to take the oath in their own manner instead of using the official text provided by the university. Raveendran objected and subsequently cancelled the ceremony.During the event, DSU office-bearers began the oath by invoking ‘the immortal martyrs who lost their lives in the struggle for creating a new world order'. The vice-chancellor intervened and warned them twice that any oath taken without following the official wording prepared by the university would not be legally valid.Citing university regulations, the vice-chancellor insisted that the office-bearers take either a solemn affirmation or an oath in the name of God, as stipulated in the rules. However, DSU representatives refused to follow his instructions. Earlier, the vice-chancellor's office had already provided the university's official oath text to DSU members.As the situation escalated, the vice-chancellor announced that the ceremony could not proceed. He cancelled the swearing-in and finally walked out.