Days after two SC girls accuse professor of verbal abuse, MKU staff claims attack by mob

 The complaint copy of one of the girl students, Teena*, has been accessed by TNIE. "I belong to SC community and had joined the college with high hopes.

Image used for representational purpose

MADURAI:  Four days after two girl students lodged complaints with Madurai Kamaraj University (V-C) Vice Chancellor J Kumar and varsity registrar M Sadasivam alleging continuous verbal abuse on the part of History assistant professor Shanmugaraja, the varsity on Thursday lodged a complaint with Nagamalai police claiming that around 10 persons, including relatives of the two students, attacked Shanmugaraja on MKU campus. "On behalf of MKU, we have lodged a plaint with the police concerning the attack allegation. We will also inquire about the students' charges against the assistant professor as per varsity norms," the V-C said.

The complaint copy of one of the girl students, Teena (Name changed), has been accessed by TNIE. "I belong to SC community and had joined the college with high hopes. But, the abuse against us began on Day 1. Assistant Professor Shanmugaraja addresses all students using disrespectful words like 'ava', 'eva'. He once told us that every staff except him in the History department was 'indisciplined'. He claimed that the other professors had impregnated so many students and finally he had to help the girls to undergo abortions," it read. The complaint has also been submitted to District Collector Dr. S Aneesh Sekhar and Tamil Nadu State Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Teena went on to claim that Shanmugaraja recently drew a picture of Meena (Name changed), the other complainant, on the smart classroom board. "Now, we are lodging this complaint to safeguard the dignity and self-respect of all students," she added. Sources said the students have also submitted video and audio evidence to the varsity authorities to prove their allegations.

Meanwhile, a video has gone viral on social media purportedly showing 10 persons surrounding Shanmugaraja on Thursday. He is heard shouting that he is being attacked in the video. Speaking to TNIE, Shanmugaraja said, "I was sitting in the staff room during the afternoon when the mob came and attacked me. I have lodged a complaint to the varsity registrar seeking police action on the issue. Further, the complaints filed against me by the two students are false. I am an active member of the Madurai Kamaraj University Faculty Association, and the V-C and registrar are trying to curtail my functioning using the students."

"Meena was initially doing her project under my guidance. She later expressed interest in continuing the project with another professor and so I granted her permission for that. Regarding Teena, I told her not to enter the class on Monday since she was 30 minutes late. She had already skipped classes in the previous five days. The claims in both Teena's and Meena's complaints are false," Shanmugaraja added. MKU sources said the Internal Complaint Committee at the varsity headed by Professor Sakila will hold inquiries with both Shanmugaraja and the students soon.