Vipin Vijayan, a PhD scholar at Kerala University, has levelled serious allegations against Dr. C. N. Vijayakumari, Dean of the Sanskrit Department, accusing her, whom he claims has affiliations with the RSS-BJP, of caste discrimination and abuse of authority after his PhD degree was withheld.
The Dalit PhD scholar alleged that the Dean made casteist remarks such as, “No matter how much a Pulayan or Parayan bows, Sanskrit will never yield to them as it does to Brahmins,” and deliberately obstructed the awarding of his PhD degree.
“The label ‘one who doesn’t know Sanskrit’ has been stamped on me like an indelible mark. It has caused me wounds that will never heal,” said Vipin, who holds an M.Phil in Sanskrit from the University’s Department of Sanskrit, in a post.
He alleged that despite having earned his M.Phil legitimately, guided by Dr. Vijayakumari herself and examined by a university-approved board, his PhD was obstructed at the final stage by the same professor.
“If I don’t know Sanskrit, then on what basis did she guide me and approve my M.Phil degree? If I am a fraud, does that not make her an accomplice? Or did I somehow forget Sanskrit after my M.Phil?” Vipin asked, alleging that the issue is rooted in caste prejudice.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.