Deepa P Mohanan, the PhD candidate who had been on a hunger strike over caste discrimination faced at the Mahatma Gandhi University in Kerala, ended her protest after a meeting with university officials who said that all her demands were met. Deepa had been on a strike since October 29.
The government of Kerala had earlier chosen to remove Dr Nandakumar Kalarikkal from the post of Director of MG University's International and Inter-University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. Nandakumar had allegedly made casteist remarks against Deepa.
Among the demands she had made to the university, were the removal of Nandakumar along with an access to resources in the laboratory and a change in her research guide. She has claimed that her studies have been affected for over ten years simply for the reason that she is a Dalit. She said, "All demands were met by the officials. Nandakumar has been ousted. Time for the research has been extended till 2024 and the varsity officials have extended all support to complete my research."
