A probe panel has been initiated at Vikram University in Madhya Pradesh following allegations that a guest professor was “propagating Islam and harassing Hindu students.” The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Akhilesh Pandey, told reporters on Monday about the initiation of the probe.
The controversy revolves around accusations made by members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) against Anis Sheikh, a guest professor at the Institute of Pharmacy. ABVP members claim Sheikh shared Islamic material on a departmental WhatsApp group and discriminated against Hindu students.
In response to the allegations, Sheikh denied any involvement in the WhatsApp group discussions, clarifying, “It is the department’s WhatsApp group, and I have no role in it. The disputed chat about Ramzan greetings was posted by a student a year ago.”
Sheikh alleged that students who skipped lectures were pressuring him for 80-85% marks, leading to a dispute when he refused to comply. He said that only a few of the 60 students in his class were from the minority community. Sheikh also expressed feeling pressured and slandered, claiming his reputation was being tarnished.
ABVP’s Ujjain Mahanagar secretary, Adarsh Choudhary, alleged that complaints against Sheikh had been received for some time. Choudhary claimed, “He was awarding more marks to students of a particular community while harassing students of the Hindu community by giving them poor grades.”
The ABVP also said that a Muslim student performed namaz in a classroom. “We have submitted a memorandum to the vice chancellor regarding these issues,” he added.
The university’s probe committee aims to submit its report within 15 days. Meanwhile, Sheikh has been instructed not to attend classes during the investigation period.
Sheikh said, “I will present my side before the probe committee. The allegations against me are baseless and an attempt to tarnish my reputation.”
The university administration is expected to take further actions based on the findings of the committee.
