A week after Kerala's MG University student Deepa P Mohanan began her hunger strike against the university authorities for alleged caste discrimination, the state's Higher Education Minister, Dr R Bindu, has assured necessary actions. Over a series of tweets, Bindu said that the university should take efforts to resolve the student's complaint at the earliest.
Deepa had sought the university to make the necessary arrangements to let her complete her research, which she had begun almost a decade back, and to expel the centre's director Dr Nandakumar Kalarikkal, who allegedly discriminated against her. While the university's Vice-Chancellor Dr Sabu Thomas agreed to the first demand and offered all support, he told EdexLive that it would be impossible to expel Kalarikkal, "a faculty with excellent academic credentials and productivity."
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"The varsity has been asked for an explanation regarding the impediments they are facing in investigating the complaint after removing the accused teacher from office. If the issue is technical, they can provide us with the details of any document required for the purpose," Dr Bindu tweeted. "The government is concerned about the student's health situation. I'm anxious personally as well. As soon as we get an explanation from the university, steps will be taken to ensure justice for Deepa. If the decision to replace the accused teacher continues to remain pending, the authorities will be specifically instructed to ask the teacher to step down," she added.
While the minister, who is getting treated for COVID had asked Deepa to withdraw her strike, Deepa has said that she will wait for the decision to be implemented. "I will continue striking until then. My health situation is deteriorating. I was taken to the hospital once and I am not well. But I won't give up," she said.
