Arvind Agrawal, vice-chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi Central University, Motihari, has denied reports that he has quit his post amid allegations of forging his academic records even as the varsity teachers claimed that he has indeed been asked to step down.

“The news about resignation from my post is not true. I am not well and am presently under medical treatment,” Agrawal told The Telegraph on Tuesday when contacted for clarification.

However, members of the varsity’s teachers’ association, who for the past several months have raised a banner of revolt against the vice-chancellor (VC) over allegations of fudging his academic records, claimed that they have come to know from the Union ministry of human resources development that Agrawal has been asked to resign.

“We have come to know from sources in the Union ministry — and even teachers and officials who are close to the VC have said — that Agrawal has resigned from his post. However, the university administration is yet to receive any official communiqué from the Centre about the resignation of the VC,” said Pramod Meena, president of the Mahatma Gandhi Central University Teachers’ Association.

The varsity’s officer on special duty (OSD), administrative, Anand Prakash also said that while he has heard of reports of the resignation but there is no official confirmation as of now.

“As I am OSD, any official communiqué has to come to me. I have not received any letter in this connection,” he said.

Other sources, however, said that the Centre is upset with alleged forgery of academic documents of Agrawal and has asked him to put in his papers.

The teachers’ association had earlier written to the President, Prime Minister, the Union ministry, the governor and the chief minister, demanding an enquiry into the VC’s academic record.

Meena said: “Through an RTI (right to information) request, it was revealed that professor Agrawal had obtained his PhD degree from the University of Rajasthan in 1992 whereas he has lied in the application that he was awarded PhD from the University of Heidelberg, Germany, in 1989.

“Professor Agrawal also misrepresented his graduation marks and reported that he secured above 60 per cent while he had obtained merely 49 per cent,” he added.

Echoing the views of Meena, Bhanu Pratap Singh, vice-president of the teachers' association,pointed out that on Monday the university had appointed Anil Kumar Rai as pro-VC and claimed it had been done to avert a leadership crisis at the central university.

This is the first time the university has got a pro-VC since its inception in 2016.

Rai was earlier dean, media studies, at Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya in Maharashtra’s Wardha.