Kerala University professor booked for casteist remarks against PhD scholar
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Thiruvananthapuram: The Sreekaryam Police have registered a case against Dr C.N. Vijayakumari, Head of the Sanskrit Department and Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Kerala University’s Kariavattom campus, for allegedly making casteist remarks against a research scholar.
The case was filed following a complaint by Vipin Vijayan, a research scholar from Vanchiyoor, who accused the professor of humiliating him by referring to his caste in front of other students and teachers.
According to the FIR, registered on November 8, the alleged incident occurred after Vijayakumari refused to sign his PhD thesis report following his open defence on October 15. When Vipin later approached her to complete the final formalities for his doctoral submission, he claimed the professor made derogatory caste-based comments in his presence.
The complaint further alleged that these remarks were part of a pattern. Vipin claimed that since joining the MPhil programme under her supervision in 2015, the professor had repeatedly made disparaging comments about his caste. The FIR quotes Vijayakumari as allegedly stating that “people from lower castes cannot learn Sanskrit” and that she “would clean her room with water after they entered.”
Police confirmed that Vijayakumari has been booked under Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(s) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, which address intentionally insulting or abusing a member of the SC/ST community in public based on caste. The offences are non-bailable, and authorities said a detailed investigation will precede any decision on arrest.
When the allegations surfaced, Vijayakumari denied making casteist remarks, asserting that her refusal to sign the thesis was purely academic, citing factual errors and instances of plagiarism in Vipin’s research. She added that she was following standard academic protocol and accused the scholar of fabricating charges to tarnish her reputation.
The investigation into the matter is currently ongoing.
With IANS inputs