Srinagar, May 13: Under fire over the blunder, the authorities at the SK University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology Kashmir have candidly admitted having replaced sheep with cow in the varsity emblem, citing “inadvertent mistake.”
The development comes two days after this newspaper reported how the varsity had introduced a new self-styled emblem inscribed in its official documents released in the past few months. In the distorted emblem, sheep in the DNA helical inside the emblem was replaced with cow in a ‘clandestine manner’, drawing flak from the observers, who described the move as an “attempt to mutilate the identity of the varsity.” The new emblem has been first inscribed on a folder distributed by the varsity during a conference on Saffron at SKICC last year and a newsletter and Annual Report 2009-2010 released recently.
In a press statement issued here this evening, the varsity blamed painter (sic) for the mistake—something which the observers are not ready to digest. “Our University seal had been designed and prepared manually by a painter (sic) some 30 years back. It would become blurred when reproduced on larger font. The writings and the objects depicting agricultural heritage of the state were not clear,” said the SKUAST Registrar, Prof Farooq Zaki, in a statement to Greater Kashmir this evening. “With a view to bring clarity in the emblem, the university decided to prepare it in a digital mode so as to bring sharpness and precision in its elements. However, during the formatting/re-synthesis of the emblem the animal has inadvertently been mistaken as hill cow by the composer.”
The officer said: “We are grateful that you, through your esteemed newspaper, pointed it out which unfortunately remained unnoticed by most of us in the University, particularly the then Registrar being the custodian of the university seal when it was redesigned. We have rectified the error and the revised emblem with insertion of sheep in place of cow has been got done.”
While the varsity has passed the buck on the painter (sic), sources in the varsity are not ready to buy the argument. “In the first place, it is the University which provides the seal to the designer or printer for publication on official documents. A printer, who has worked with the university for years together, cannot be so naïve to understand the sensitivity of the issue and himself replace sheep with cow,” they said. “Even if one buys this argument, isn’t there a monitoring mechanism in the university to look into such issues? The fact of the matter is that either it was done deliberately for reasons best known to the authorities or it is a clear case of negligence. And the state government should fix the responsibility on the issue.”
Sources said the “digitized emblem” was never notified for public information and the varsity was simultaneously using two emblems.
It has been reliably learnt that the state government pulled up the varsity vice-chancellor on the issue. Pertinently, the varsity has been in news for all the wrong reasons for the past few months, particularly on the issue of “illegal admissions”. Neither the varsity nor the state government has so far taken any action in the issue.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 13 May 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 13 May 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 14 May 2011 00:00:00 IST