Manipal University 'terrorist row': Prof debarred from teaching pending inquiry

A video of the student calling out the professor for labelling him a 'terrorist' is viral on the internet.

The Manipal Institute of Technology in Karnataka's Udupi district on Monday banned a professor from taking classes after he allegedly called a student 'terrorist'. A video of the student calling out the professor for labelling him a 'terrorist' is viral on the internet.

Karnataka student calls out professor for allegedly calling him a 'terrorist' (From a screengrab of viral video)

The institute in the coastal region of the southern state has condemned the incident and ordered a probe. An official from MIT stated, "The lecturer has been barred from taking any further classes. An enquiry team has been formed to probe the incident."

The professor allegedly called a student as 'Kasab' - a reference to the convict in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks at Mumbai because 'his name sounded similar'.

After the student called him out, the lecturer apologised.

"How can you pass such statements?" the student asks in the video being shared online.

The remark is followed by an argument. The professor tries to dismiss his shocking remark as a joke but the student hits back, saying, "26/11 is not funny... being Muslim and facing such things in this country is not funny. How can you label me as a terrorist in front of everyone in the class? 'Sorry' alone will not help, sir. It doesn't change how you portray yourself here."

Reports indicate the professor later apologised to the student.