Agra university to honour Ajit Doval, Tessy Thomas

Agra, Dec 2 (IANS) Agra university will award honorary doctorates to National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Tessy Thomas -- associated with the Agni missile programme -- and Nagendra, the yoga consultant to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at its 83rd Convocation ceremony on December 5.

President Ram Nath Kovind will address the convocation and present the honorary doctorates.

The university, now rechristened as Dr BR Ambedkar University, has asked students to wear dhoti-kurtas and saris for the convocation ceremony.

In recent years, the university has suffered a loss of image due to mounting criticism of massive bungling in examinations, fake mark-sheets, illegal appointments, swindling of funds and low level of research, among others.

The Khandari Campus in the city is being spruced up and a new stage being erected. The President will spend about an hour at the function, district officials said.

"How the PR exercise will help heal deep wounds and scars of two decades of non-functioning and bungling will be closely watched by seven lakh students of the university," said a retired teacher, N. Sharma.

Established in 1927, Agra university has produced a steady stream of politicians and professionals, including Choudhary Charan Singh, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma, to Ajit Doval.

"Against its glorious track record, its present condition is dismal and disgusting. Every day you hear of a new scandal, the latest being the B.Ed fake marksheets which helped hundreds of people get government jobs. Already 241 such cases have been identified," an informed source told IANS.