The board of studies of the international relations department at Jadavpur University has accused a teacher, who had allegedly hurled casteist remarks against a PhD student, of “misrepresenting facts” in a letter to vice-chancellor Suranjan Das.
Das had said a judicial inquiry would be held into the allegations against the assistant professor.
Asked about the inquiry, Das said on Monday: “The matter is being dealt with by the executive council.... I will be guided by the council.”
The board had on January 13 adopted a resolution that read: “The HOD (head of the department) placed before the BOS members the copy of the letter written by the accused teacher to vice-chancellor Suranjan Das, dated 27/12/2022. The BOS resolved that it takes objection to the content of the letter, the language used therein and the misrepresentation of facts.”
The Telegraph asked the HOD, Iman Kalyan Lahiri, about the resolution. He declined comment. Calls and text messages from this newspaper to the accused teacher went unanswered.
Lahiri had in September written to VC Das seeking “action” against the teacher, who allegedly referred “to terms like quota” while talking about the PhD student at a meeting of the PhD research committee (PRC).
The assistant professor was the research supervisor of the student, who belongs to the OBC category, said a JU official.
The letter the accused teacher has written to the VC says: “During the PRC meeting on 09.09.2022, I was castigated in the most unseemly and abusive manner by the HOD and other internal committee members... in connection to the matter of said (student)”.
“I tried to explain the aptitude deficiency of the said student and instead of understanding my observations in the correct perspective, I was accused of using derogatory casteist remark against the said student, which is absolutely untrue and my comment about using the term ‘quota’ was twisted to allege that I have insulted the social background of the said student.”