Hyderabad varsity suspends scholar for ‘misbehaving’ with female prof

The University of Hyderabad on Tuesday rusticated a research scholar for six months and imposed a fine on two other students for allegedly misbehaving with a female assistant professor in November last year.

The university issued an order saying Linga Swamy Baikini, pursuing PhD in sustainable environment-friendly industrial production, was suspended for a period of six months from April 2.

He has been barred from accessing any facility, including the hostel, and also fined ~30,000.

Baikini is university incharge of Congress-affiliated National Students Union of India (NSUI).

The other two students – Hakeem, pursuing M Phil in comparative literature; and Thahir Jamal, PhD student of comparative literature – were also found guilty of “misbehaviour” and asked to pay a fine of ~10,000 each.

The decision followed a report submitted by the university’s proctorial board, which enquired into the complaint lodged by the assistant professor of centre for health psychology on November 28. The report was submitted to vice-chancellor Podile Appa Rao in the first week of March.

Though the university’s order doesn’t mention the nature of complaint, enquiries established that Baikini had entered into an argument with the assistant professor, after she refused to accept an Other Backward Class (OBC) certificate of a female student.

Sannaki Munna, a student leader and a member of the Ambedkar Students’ Association (ASA), however, claimed Baikini was falsely implicated as he was actively involved in the Justice for Rohith Vemula movement. He said the other two students were first called as “witnesses”.

Vemula, a research scholar, had committed suicide on January 17, 2016 over “caste discrimination” in the university.

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