Dalit scholar in UP threatens suicide

In what could be a replay of the Rohith Vemula case in Hyderabad, a Dalit scholar in the Chaudhary Charan Singh University in Meerut district had threatened to ‘commit suicide like Vemula’ if no action is taken against faculty member who has been harassing him.

Harish Kumar, a Dalit researcher, told reporters in Meerut that the Research Design Course committee gave the nod to his research topic in 2012 but he could not start his work because the University Grants Commission (UGC) had issued an order that all research scholars had to go through a six-month pre-PHD course.

Harish Kumar alleged that when the course started in November-December 2014, he found that his batch had been merged with the second batch whose course had to be started six months after his batch.

“The coordinator, Aradhana Gupta started to shout at me instead of giving me any reasonable answer. I started to attend the classes but most of the time I was provided a paper to sign on that to mark my attendance instead of any attendance register. After six months 10-12 scholars including me were asked to take extra classes as we were short on attendance. On this ground I was not permitted to take internal exams”, he said.

Prof. Aradhana Gupta, however, denied misbehaving with the scholar. “He was stopped along with 17 other scholars from taking the exam due to shortfall in attendance. Kumar only came to the department on the very first day of the course and we saw him again when internal exams were about to start. When all the students had signed on the attendance register, why would he be given a paper instead ” the professor added.

She further said that on the request of students with less attendance, the department had arranged extra classes for 20 days in July-August 2015.

“But Kumar attended 10 classes in five days. The final exams will start on March 6 and only those scholars who have cleared internal exams and have 45 per cent attendance will be allowed to appear. Therefore he has filed a complaint even though he has no specific allegation to make. At the beginning of the course he had a heated argument with me and later gave a written apology”, she added.

The research scholar, meanwhile, explained that he was forced to write an apology because he was a Dalit.

“Now I have just two options, either take to crime or commit suicide like Rohith Vemula”, he said.

Vice chancellor N K Taneja said the though the matter had been settled but if the student has complained again, an inquiry would be ordered into the episode.

Harish Kumar has already sent a copy of the complaint to the district magistrate, in which he mentions writing to PM Modi, HRD minister Smriti Irani and chairman of UGC.

“If I commit suicide like Rohith Vemula, the responsibility will lie on Anuradha Gupta, the V-C, PM and HRD minister”, he said in the letter.

The district magistrate remained unavailable for comment.