Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University of Ruhuna, Prof. Sujeewa Amarasena who has presently been replaced by a Competent Authority, has alleged that his ‘removal’ was politically motivated, describing himself as “the first political victim” of the newly formed National People's Power (NPP) Government.
Speaking to the media, Prof. Amarasena claimed that the campaign against him was driven by a group of university lecturers aligned with the current Government. He alleged that many of these individuals have since been appointed to key positions.
Addressing the allegations made against him, Prof. Amarasena said: “The posters displayed in the university premises and the posts shared on social media accusing me have been removed by the protestors themselves because those allegations have no basis.” He criticised the actions of student unions, university lecturers’ unions, and non-academic staff unions for leading a strike against him. He accused some university lecturers of pressuring students to join protests, even during lecture hours. “How unethical it is. They said that the entire university community is against me. That is not correct. If so, they should hold a secret ballot of all 16,000 students. They will never do it,” he added.
Prof. Amarasena further claimed that his removal was not based on any findings of the disciplinary inquiry conducted against him but was instead justified on the grounds that university operations were hindered under his leadership. He argued that the disruptions were caused by the strike, not his actions. “I am still the VC, but, I have no power to do any official work. I was not removed based on the final inquiry,” he stated. “I still have no reason not to consider this a case of political victimisation.”
Last week, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, in her capacity as the Minister of Higher Education, appointed Prof. R.M.U.S.K. Rathnayake as the competent authority of the university, effective 25 November.
Unions led by the Inter-University Students’ Federation and the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations have been demanding Prof. Amarasena’s removal, citing allegations related to his conduct.
The attempts made to contact the Deputy Minister of Higher Education Dr. Madhura Seneviratne and the Secretary to the Ministry were not successful.