Published Sep 22, 2026 | 9:30 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 22, 2026 | 9:33 AM
PhD scholar Bharathidasan Raman.
Synopsis: A scholarship dispute involving Malaysia-based PhD scholar Bharathidasan Raman and Tamil Nadu Social Justice Minister Vanni Arasu escalated into a political controversy over delayed second-year research funds and conflicting claims about submitted documents. The government eventually released ₹23.95 lakh on 19 September, after which Raman said he would move on and focus on his research. However, he alleged political and social-media propaganda against him.
After much hullabaloo and a backlash, the Tamil Nadu government on Saturday, 19 September, released ₹23.95 lakh to research scholar Bharathidasan Raman, ending a months-long dispute over the release of his scholarship assistance.
Raman, pursuing a PhD in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine at the National University of Malaysia, had alleged that the delay in releasing funds for his second year stalled his research and put his studies at risk.
The government, however, maintained that the issue involved expenditure documents and verification. It said Raman had already received around ₹48 lakh towards his first two years, including around ₹12 lakh for the second year. The latest payment of ₹23.95 lakh was released towards the remaining second-year assistance.
But the controversy began months earlier, with Raman saying he had raised the issue with the department through emails since April.
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Raman said he first sought the release of his second-year research assistance in April 2026.
He said his professor sent the research requirements to the department on 24 March, after which he submitted bills and other documents. He said he sent receipts on 21 April, provided clarifications and followed up several times, including on 8 June and 29 June.
The research scholar also said he subsequently approached Minister for Social Justice Vanni Arasu through people known to him and sent further representations in July and August.
Raman said the issue, however, continued unaddressed.
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The dispute became public in August, when Raman released a video saying that the funds required for his second-year research had not been released.
In the video, he said he was studying at the National University of Malaysia under the Annal Ambedkar Overseas Higher Education Scholarship and had been waiting for the financial assistance required for his research.
He questioned why the government had not released the research-related funds despite repeated requests.
The video gained traction on social media. The Department of Social Justice issued a detailed statement on 19 August.
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The department said Raman had been sanctioned assistance under the Annal Ambedkar Overseas Higher Education Scholarship Scheme, which provides eligible students pursuing higher education or research abroad with assistance of up to ₹36 lakh a year.
It said Raman had received ₹36 lakh for his first year. The department also provided a breakup, saying ₹5.01 lakh was paid directly to the university toward tuition fees, while ₹30.98 lakh was transferred to Raman for visa, living, and research expenses.
The department said it had subsequently released around ₹12 lakh for his second year, including tuition fees and living expenses.
The government said the problem arose after Raman’s additional request of ₹19.50 lakh for second-year research expenses.
It also said expenditure documents for around ₹8.18 lakh from the first year were found unacceptable and that Raman had been asked to provide clarification and proof of payment for the research materials.
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Raman disputed the department’s statement.
In a follow-up video after the government’s August statement, he said the ₹36 lakh the department mentioned related to his first-year assistance, while his complaint concerned the funds needed for his second-year research.
He said he had already submitted the bills and receipts the department sought.
The researcher specifically pointed to his submissions in April and June and said that his professor had also provided the required research details.
Raman also questioned why the government was highlighting the money already given to him when his complaint was about the additional research expenditure that remained unpaid.
In the video, he also said that the department’s version was incorrect and that he had repeatedly followed up through emails without receiving a resolution.
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The issue then became a political controversy. Opposition leaders, including DMK president MK Stalin and Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin, backed Raman and criticised the government for delaying the release of the scholarship assistance.
The Opposition sought to know whether a student from a marginalised community pursuing research abroad was being denied the financial assistance promised under a government scheme.
The government, meanwhile, maintained that it was processing the student’s request and that the issue involved documentation and verification.
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The dispute intensified on 17 September, when Raman released another video, making stronger allegations against the Social Justice Department and Minister Arasu.
Social Justice Minister Vanni Arasu.
He said he had been raising the issue since April and that the delay had stalled his research for nearly six months.
The researcher said he faced the possibility of being removed from the National University of Malaysia because of unpaid fees.
Raman also said the financial uncertainty could affect his plans to travel to AIIMS Delhi on 6 October to present his research paper.
He alleged that, instead of resolving the funding issue, officials questioned the research materials he had sought money to buy and asked for information he claimed he had already provided.
The student directly addressed Arasu and accused him of targeting him and using the department’s power against him.
In the same video, Raman invoked the case of Rohith Vemula, the Dalit research scholar at the University of Hyderabad whose death in 2016 became a major national controversy over caste and institutional treatment of Dalit students.
Raman drew a parallel between his experience and Vemula’s and said he feared facing similar institutional pressure.
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The Social Justice Department issued another statement the same day.
It said that Raman had sought ₹19.50 lakh towards second-year research expenses and that the department had emailed his university asking it to provide the required recommendation.
The department said it had also sent a copy of the email to Raman and that it would release the scholarship after the university responded.
It reiterated that the student had already received ₹36 lakh for the first year and ₹12 lakh for the second year, for a total of around ₹48 lakh.
The department accused Raman of making statements contrary to its records and said his video could damage the scholarship scheme’s reputation.
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Raman responded again on 18 September. He released documents and emails in a video to support his claim that he had submitted the bills.
The research scholar said he had submitted bills worth around ₹37 lakh on 8 June and questioned the department’s repeated claim that he had not provided the required documents.
He also pointed to a 26 August submission, saying he had already sent the bills and explanations.
Raman argued that the department was repeatedly creating a narrative that he had failed to submit bills, despite the documents he had shared.
He said the current requirement was for research expenses such as cells, reagents, consumables, and other research materials, rather than the first-year assistance the government repeatedly cited.
In the 18 September video, Raman made a more serious allegation.
He claimed that the Social Justice Department and a particular political party’s social media machinery were being used to spread false information and a negative narrative against him.
Raman objected to claims that he had misused the scholarship scheme and said that repeated questioning of his expenditure was damaging his credibility with his professors.
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As the dispute snowballed into a controversy, Raman faced backlash on social media.
Questions were raised about the nature of some of his research-related expenses, including purchases such as a Mac computer and footwear, with some posts portraying them as evidence that scholarship funds may have been misused.
There were also claims that Opposition parties were politically supporting or using him.
Raman rejected such suggestions and maintained that the expenses were connected to his research and that he had submitted the relevant bills and explanations.
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As the controversy escalated, Arasu accused the DMK of politicising the issue.
On 19 September, the minister said the government was following the same procedures as the previous dispensation, including seeking explanations and documents from scholarship beneficiaries.
He argued that the DMK was using Raman’s case for political purposes and questioned its record in implementing the overseas scholarship scheme.
The minister also said that the government had a responsibility to ensure Raman’s education and safety and that the student’s studies would not be affected.
He maintained that the government had not denied the student his scholarship and that it would release the remaining assistance.
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On 19 September, the Tamil Nadu government released ₹23.95 lakh to Raman.
The department said it transferred the research contingency component directly to the university and credited the personal allowance to the student’s account.
The government said the latest payment effectively completed the second-year assistance.
Arasu said the government had released the funds and that Raman’s education would continue.
The payment ended the immediate financial dispute.
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After the money was credited, Raman posted a message on Facebook.
He said he wanted to put the controversy behind him and focus on his studies and research.
The research scholar also alleged that some people associated with the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) were spreading false propaganda about him and objected to the way his case had been portrayed publicly.
Raman said he was not prepared to take the matter forward any further and wanted to focus on completing his research.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
