Mysore/Mysuru: Former Mayor Purushottam has accused the city’s Karnataka State Gangubai Hangal (KSGH) Music and Performing Arts University of non-payment of pending wages of 21 non-teaching staff of the Varsity.

Addressing a press meet here yesterday, Purushottam said that the Government has released Rs. 87 lakh for payment of wage dues of 21 sacked non-teaching staff of the Music University. But the University authorities have credited only 40 percent of the pending wages, which is questionable, he said.

Alleging that the University authorities have withheld the rest 60 percent of the pending wages for reasons best known to them, the former Mayor wondered why the University Vice-Chancellor was silent on the issue.

Maintaining that the University authorities has sacked the 21 non-teaching staff citing ‘Excess,’ Purushottam contended that VC Prof. Nagesh Bettakote’s illogical stance had resulted in these staff losing their job.

Demanding that the Government must sack the VC, he wanted the University to re-appoint the sacked 21 employees who lost their job for no fault of theirs.

Karnataka State Dalit Welfare Trust President Shantaraju alleged that the VC had appointed 10 other staff after sacking the 21 employees who had served for long.

Contending that the sacked 21 employees were recruited through a direct appointment, he said that their appointments were ratified by the University Syndicate. But now, these staff have been sacked all of a sudden citing excess staff, which is against the law.

K. Chandrashekar, Kaiser Babu, Chikka Annadani and others were present at the press meet.