CN Vijayakumari, Head of the Department of Sanskrit and Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the University of Kerala, was booked by the Thiruvananthapuram City Police under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for allegedly making casteist remarks against a researcher.
The Sreekaryam police registered a case based on a complaint lodged by Vipin Vijayan, a PhD student. It was accounted for in accordance with § 3 paragraph 1 letter r) and § 3 paragraph 1 letter s) of the Act. The non-bailable sections relate to intentionally insulting or abusing a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe at any place in public view.
According to the complaint, the professor allegedly refused to sign Mr. Vijayan’s work after his open defense 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 program at the university under her supervision.
In a Facebook post, the researcher accused her of trying 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 are leftist. The teacher follows the RSS-BJP ideology and is an active member of the Sangh Parivar-affiliated university teachers’ association,” he wrote.
The Minister orders an investigation
Higher Education Minister R. Bindu ordered an inquiry into the incident and directed the Vice-Chancellor to take strict legal action against those found guilty.
Dr. Bindu, in her capacity as Pro-Chancellor, in her communication to the Vice-Chancellor, also noted that such an incident occurring in a premier institution, especially one that has received A++ NAAC accreditation and is ranked fifth among state public universities in NIRF, has tarnished the reputation of the higher education sector and the state as a whole.
The researcher has already filed a complaint with the vice chancellor. Acknowledging the gravity of the problem, the minister directed the principal secretary, higher education department, to conduct an immediate inquiry and submit a detailed report.
The Minister also ordered that the appropriateness of the educator’s public statements in the visual media be examined as part of the investigation. Dr. Bindu further directed the university registrar to ensure that all necessary legal action is taken and submit a report without delay.
Published – 09 Nov 2025 19:56 IST
