A Dalit research scholar from Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Shivam Kumar, has lodged a complaint with the National SC/ST Commission after allegedly facing casteist abuse and misconduct from a senior professor during an academic meeting. The incident, which occurred on May 30, took place during Shivam’s viva for upgradation from Junior Research Fellow (JRF) to Senior Research Fellow (SRF) in the Anatomy department of the Ayurveda faculty.
According to Shivam, the situation escalated during a refreshment session when he took a group photograph with his phone. This action reportedly angered a senior professor, who then threw a half-eaten samosa at Shivam and verbally abused him with casteist slurs, questioning his manners for taking pictures while someone was eating.
Shivam immediately reported the incident to the university administration, including the dean of students. However, no action has been taken so far, prompting him to escalate the matter to the National SC/ST Commission on August 30.
When contacted about the incident, Prof. AK Nema, the dean of students, stated that the issue had been referred to the dean of the Ayurveda faculty for resolution.
