Ready to lay down my life for American College: Pappiah

Sees ulterior motives behind Bishop's move; terms it a huge network of corruption
INDIAN EXPRESS 14TH DECEMBER 2010

THE agitation at the American College here continued for the third day on Monday with the staff staging a demonstration on the premises after Mohan, principal in-charge appointed by the Bishop,assumed office on Friday.
Solomon Pappiah, popular orator, who addressed the demonstrators on Monday, stated that he was ready to lay down his life for the welfare of the college. Condemning the Bishop for his ulterior motives of taking the college administration in his hands with vested commercialinterests, he doubted a large-scale plot behind the move and huge net-work.
Solomon Pappiah told the staff that everything would be done to dismantle and encouraged them to be together and not to yield to rumours or threats. He charged that if at all something happens to him before that it could be considered as a plot to remove him from the scene. "Our goal is not to reinstate Chinnaraj Joseph as the principal but to protect the college from the commercial interests of the Bishop." he said.
He ruled out any family-related sentiments behind his support for the agitators and stated that he was merely fighting to save the college which gave him education and life.
Earlier, addressing mediapersons. Pappiah said that the American College was meant for poor students. He was associated with the college for 34 years as he had
studied in the same college for four years and taught for another 30 years. Pappiah charged that the Bishop had violated the college constitution and law and took over the management illegally.He blamed the Bishop for trying to convert the college lands into commercial establishments. Within three to four years, the entire greenery would be replaced with concrete jungles inside the college, he alleged. He said that it was a large-scale corruption where the government machinery was also involved in protecting the concerns of the Bishop, he stated.
Anbunathan, Dean of Self-Financed Courses and T ChinnarajJoseph Jeyakumar,retired principal, addressed the demonstrators.