Faceoff between students and the VC began after the alleged sexual assault of a postgraduate student in October 2023.
The Ministry of Education relieved E Suresh Kumar, the Vice-Chancellor of the English and Foreign Language University, of his duties on 1 January. (Supplied)
The Union Ministry of Education has granted E Suresh Kumar, the Vice-Chancellor of the English and Foreign Language University (EFLU), permission to step down from his position. He had requested the ministry to relieve him of his duties on personal grounds, the varsity said on Monday, 1 January.
Kumar has handed over the charge to Surabhi Bharati, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Dean of International Relations. She will be the acting Vice-Chancellor of the Hyderabad-based university until further orders.
Kumar was relieved of his duties on 1 January, the EFLU said.
Incidentally, Kumar’s resignation came months after the students demanded his ouster. They had also demanded the resignation of Proctor T Samson.
The students expressed happiness over Kumar’s stepping down.
“We are very happy as well as optimistic that the VC has decided to step down. It feels like a victory of the students’ protest,” one of the protesters told South First.
“The VC’s term ended two years ago. There was an appointment notification last year as well but we don’t know how his term got extended,” the student, who requested anonymity, said.
On 24 October, 2023, Kumar claimed that there was no disturbance in the university and the campus was peaceful and in order.
EFLU VC E Suresh Kumar. (X)
He added that the EFLU’s Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) had conducted an inquiry into an alleged assault of a student and submitted its report.
Refuting the VC’s statement, EFLU’s Women’s Collective (WCE) alleged in an unsigned statement that the VC’s definition of “peaceful” was in fact a state of extensive fear that had gripped the campus.
It added that the students were scared to “voice dissent” after the Covid-19 pandemic and that the recent events of sexual assault and police brutality worsened the matter.
The WCE also claimed that “certain professors” called students at odd hours and intimidated those standing in solidarity with the sexual assault survivor.
It alleged that the professors and students who went through the CCTV footage the day after the assault had not been contacted during the investigation. The VC had claimed that they were contacted.
On 23 October, the EFLU faculty members came out in support of the students in the sexual assault case.
In a joint statement, the faculty members expressed pain over the insensitivity of some of the university authorities and condemned the actions of Proctor Samson.
“The statement by the professors speaks volumes. The environment in the university is such that whoever questions the VC’s actions is either thrown out or transferred to Shillong or Lucknow. Some others have even lost their jobs. There is no freedom of speech in the university,” a professor had told South First earlier, requesting anonymity.
In October last, a series of protests rocked the EFLU, initially, over the demand for reconstitution of the anti-sexual harassment SPARSH committee.
It was later overshadowed by the alleged sexual assault of a postgraduate woman student on the night of 18 October on the campus.
EFLU students sitting on a protest demanding a probe into the sexual assault incident. (Supplied)
The students claimed that two men assaulted her near the old health centre inside the varsity premises.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) directed the then Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) Anjani Kumar to conduct a “free and fair time-bound investigation” into the incident.
However, reports suggested that the Osmania University (OU) closed the case citing a ‘lack of evidence.’
During the entire episode, the varsity administration lodged “three cases” against the students for wrongful confinement, inciting violence, and promoting enmity.
On 19 October, Samson lodged an FIR stating that 11 students provoked 200 students, “promoted enmity” and “incited violence” while protesting against the sexual assault in front of his residence.
He added that the Muslim Students’ Federation (MSF) planned to conduct a pro-Palestine programme on the campus to stoke communal tensions and create disharmony.
Samson also claimed that the students used physical force, abused him, and prevented him from accessing drinking water or washroom facilities. Meanwhile, the students resumed the protests once the university reopened after the Dasara holidays on 31 October.
EFLU students protested outside the administrative building on 17 October. (Supplied)
The next day, a case was registered against at least four students for wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation, and atrocities based on a complaint by a professor attached to the Department of English Literature.
The students who were booked based on the varsity’s complaint are still attending court hearings.
“There are three cases registered, one each by Proctor Samson, Professor Suresh Babu, and the Registrar. The charge sheets in two cases have been filed (in Babu and Registrar’s case) and hearings are taking place,” a student, who has been booked, told South First.
May 03, 2024
May 03, 2024
May 03, 2024
May 03, 2024
May 03, 2024
May 03, 2024
