Four IIT Kanpur Professors Booked Under SC/ST Act, Harassing Dalit Faculty Member
- 19-Nov-2018
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New Delhi: An FIR has been registered against four Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur (IIT-K) professors under the SC/ST Atrocities Act for allegedly harassing a Dalit faculty member of the institute. Subrahmanyam Saderla, an assistant professor of the Aerospace Department, has accused four of his colleagues — professors Ishan Sharma, Sanjay Mittal, Rajeev Shekhar and Chandrashekhar Upadhyaya — of making casteist comments.
Kanpur Superintendent of Police (West) Sanjiv Suman said the quartet had been booked under relevant sections of the SC/ST Act. The institute’s Board of Governors has already found the accused professors guilty of mental torture and intimidation.
In his complaint, Saderla alleged that he had applied for a job in July 2017 and was given his appointment letter on December 28, 2017, after clearance by external experts. He joined IIT-K as an assistant professor on January 1.
Saderla, who is also an alumnus of the institute, said soon after his induction, the accused professors started spreading rumours that he benefited from reservation and was not competent enough for the post.
With the harassment showing no signs of ebbing, Saderla then took up the matter with the IIT director and the head of aerospace engineering department, Professor A K Ghosh. Thereafter, he lodged a complaint with the state SC/ST Commission.
The matter was heard on April 10 and orders were issued against the four professors. However, the accused professors moved the High Court and obtained a stay.
