Kerala University Professor Booked For Alleged Casteist Remarks Against Research Scholar
Kerala University’s Sanskrit Department head C. N. Vijayakumari has been booked under the SC/ST Act for allegedly making casteist remarks and refusing to sign research scholar Vipin Vijayan’s PhD thesis. The FIR claims she has made similar remarks since 2015. She denies the allegations, saying the thesis had academic issues.
Kerala University Professor Booked For Alleged Casteist Remarks Against Research Scholar | File Pic (Representative Image)
Thiruvananthapuram: The head of the Sanskrit Department at Kerala University has been booked for allegedly making casteist remarks against a research scholar while refusing to sign his thesis, police said on Sunday.
Sreekaryam Police registered the case against C N Vijayakumari, Head of the Sanskrit Department and Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the university's Kariavattom campus.
The case was registered based on a complaint filed by Vipin Vijayan, a native of Vanchiyoor and a research scholar in the department.
About The Case
According to the FIR registered late Saturday night, Vijayakumari allegedly refused to sign Vijayan's thesis after his open defence held on October 15.
Later, when Vijayan approached her again, requesting that she sign the document to complete his PhD process, the accused allegedly made casteist remarks in the presence of other teachers and students, the FIR said.
The complaint also alleged that Vijayakumari had been making similar caste-based remarks since 2015, when Vijayan began his M Phil at the Kariavattom campus under her supervision, FIR said.
The FIR stated that Vijayakumari allegedly told the complainant that people from lower castes could not learn Sanskrit and that she would clean her room with water after they entered.
Police said a case has been registered under sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(s) of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, that deals with the crime of intentionally insulting and abusing a member of the SC/ST community by caste name in public view.
Officials added that the offences are non-bailable, and a detailed probe will be conducted before deciding on her arrest.
Earlier, when the controversy broke out, Vijayakumari denied making any casteist remarks and claimed she had refused to sign the thesis as the researcher lacked sufficient knowledge of Sanskrit and his work contained several issues.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
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