Blantyre, Malawi - Lecturers at Chancellor College, the main constituent college of the University of Malawi in the eastern city of Zomba Wednesday abandoned classes after one of them was interrogated by the southern African country's police chief over an example he allegedly gave during a political science class.

Inspector General of Police Peter Mukhito drove all the way to Zomba, 80 kilometres east of the commercial capital, Blantyre, to personally interrogate a political science lecturer, Dr. Blessing Chinsinga, for allegedly inciting students to rise against the administration of President Bingu wa Mutharika.

According to the police, Dr. Chinsinga allegedly told his class that insurrections like those that have toppled the government of President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt are started by things like the fuel crisis that is currently hitting Malawi.

Details of the interrogation have not been released and Dr. Chinsinga was not detained, but the incident has angered the Chancellor College Academic Staff Union (CCASU) which described this as intimidation.

'We are alarmed and saddened by this development which infringes upon academic freedom,' said CCASU president Jessie Kabwila-Kapasula in a letter to the college principal, Prof. Chris Kamlongera, notifying him that they have abandoned classes.

'We would like to inform you that the members of staff are afraid to teach until there are guarantees and safeguards that academic freedom will not be infringed upon again by the police or any other authority,' she said.

Kabwila-Kapasula later told PANA that this is not an industrial action but a protest against the infringement of their academic rights.

'We don't have a dispute against our employer, the University of Malawi, but we are not able to teach because of fear,' she said.

Chancellor College Students Union president Lonjezo Sithole said the student body is in solidarity with the lecturers because 'as an institution of higher learning, what happens at Chancellor College must remain at Chancellor College. We don't condone the practice of bringing politics on campus.'

Meanwhile, angry students have smashed the official vehicle of Prof. Kamlongera, the college principal, following disagreements over book and stationery allowances.

Apparently, the college has slashed the student book and stationery allowances from 30, 000 Malawi Kwacha (about US$200) to 20,000 Malawi Kwacha (slightly over US$130).

The students became angry when news spread that they would not get the agreed amount.

Apart from the principal's car, two other vehicles were also attacked, and the students were about to break into a commercial bank on the campus when police arrived to restore order.

Police later summoned the student union leader, Sithole, and other student leaders to the Eastern Region Police headquarters for questioning about the fracas.

Pana 16/02/2011