Kuala Lumpur, Aug 26 - Universiti Malaya vice-chancellor Ghauth Jasmon has assured representatives of NGOs representing people of Indian origin that the Indian Studies department in the university will be maintained.

The NGOs' coordinator K. Arumugam said the vice-chancellor had also indicated the university was in the process of recruiting a person proficient in Tamil to head the department.

A controversy arose after the university replaced department head S. Kumaran, who retired, with Mohammed Raduan Mohammed Ariff, the first man not of Indian origin to head the department.

The uproar in the community became louder when there was talk of replacing the Indian Studies department with a South Asian Studies department, The Star said Wednesday.