KU Sanskrit HoD booked under SC/ST Act for alleged casteist remarks against research scholar

C.N. Vijayakumari, Head of the Sanskrit department and Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Kerala University, has been booked by the Thiruvananthapuram City police under provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for allegedly making casteist remarks against a research scholar.

The Sreekaryam police registered the case based on a complaint filed by Vipin Vijayan, a PhD scholar. She has been booked under Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(s) of the Act. The non-bailable sections relate to intentionally insulting or abusing a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe in any place within public view.

According to the complaint, the professor allegedly refused to sign Mr. Vijayan’s thesis after his open defence and made derogatory remarks when he approached her again to complete the PhD process. The complainant also alleged that she had made similar derogatory remarks since 2015, when he joined the MPhil programme at the university under her supervision.

In a Facebook post, the research scholar had accused her of attempting to sabotage his PhD evaluation by questioning his knowledge of Sanskrit and claimed that her actions were motivated by caste and political bias. “My politics is left-wing. The teacher follows RSS-BJP ideology and is an active member of the Sangh Parivar-affiliated teachers’ association at the university,” he wrote.

Minister orders inquiry

Higher Education Minister R. Bindu has ordered an inquiry into the incident and directed the Vice-Chancellor to adopt strict legal action against those found guilty.

Dr. Bindu, in her capacity as Pro-Chancellor, also noted in her communication to the Vice-Chancellor that such an incident occurring in a premier institution, particularly one that has secured a A++ NAAC accreditation and ranks fifth among State Public Universities in the NIRF, has tarnished the reputation of the higher education sector and the State as a whole.

The research scholar has already launched a complaint with the Vice-Chancellor. Acknowledging the seriousness of the issue, the Minister has ordered the Principal Secretary of Higher Education department to conduct an immediate investigation and submit a detailed report.

The Minister also directed that the appropriateness of the faculty member’s public statements in visual media be examined as part of the inquiry. Moreover, Dr. Bindu instructed the university Registrar to ensure that all necessary legal measures are taken and to submit a report without delay.