Case on VC for harassing dalit student

Close on the heels of Hyderabad University scholar Rohith Vemula’s suicide, yet another dalit student, this time in Rajasthan, has complained of harassment by the vice-chancellor and some senior professors.

On the direction of a local court, the police has registered a case against them for allegedly harassing the dalit scholar.

Umesh Kishore Jonwal, pursuing a doctorate from Rajasthan Central University, had moved the court accusing the varsity of arbitrary termination and harassment at the hands of vice-chancellor A.K. Pujari and seven professors — Dr Jagdish Ulhas Jadhav, Prof. A.P. Singh, Prof. A.K. Gupta, Prof. R.T. Pardasani, Dr Nagarjun Ambedkar Sole, Dr S. Kandaswami and Dr Ateek Ahmed.

Mr Jonwal has accused Prof. Jadhav and Dr Ahmed of harassment and criminal conspiracy. He alleged that Prof. Jadhav demanded `10,000 from him for every semester and he paid the amount thrice. But, when stopped paying the money, he was abused and harassed by the professor who said that he wasn’t fit for research work.

“As soon as I stopped paying the money demanded by the professor, they initiated an action of expulsion from the university. I was threatened that I will not able to complete my doctorate. My guide threw my papers out and abused me,” Mr Jonwal alleged.

The scholar was expelled in October 2015 after he remained absent from the university continuously for 15 days, despite submitting an illness certificate.

“I was issued three expulsion letters on different dates in October for remaining absent from the university for more than 15 days. I submitted an illness certificate to the university but it was not accepted,” he said.