E-Paper
Physics Wallah educator under fire for casteist slur: ‘Made remark unconsciously’
Manish Raj has apologised to the Dalit community for hurting their sentiments.
A teacher with edtech firm Physics Wallah has apologised for a using casteist slur, which he made during an online lecture. On its official X (earlier Twitter) handle, Physics Wallah uploaded a video statement of the teacher, Manish Raj, and stressed that inclusivity is among the company's core values.
“We deeply regret & apologize for the inappropriate remarks made by one of our teachers which has hurt the sentiments of the Dalit community. The concerned teacher has rendered a formal apology. Promoting inclusivity is one of our core values and will ensure it's not repeated,” the Noida-based company noted in its post on X.
Raj, meanwhile, said he made the remark ‘unconsciously,’ and it was never his intention to hurt anyone.
“A few days back while explaining a topic…unconsciously and unintentionally, I spoke something that hurt many people. I want to apologise to the Dalit community, I am ashamed, and will never make this mistake again,” Raj said in his video statement.
What is the controversy?
Recently, a clip went viral of the Physics educator using the phrase C****r while explaining a concept.
“Why did I even take up this profession? At times, I regret having to do this (teach). God, it would have been better had you made a C****r…I would have polished shoes. Then, my life would have been peaceful,” he says.
Support pours in for Manish Raj
His students, however, have come out in his support on social media, with some saying that a ‘half-baked’ video has been made to go viral to defame him.
This latest controversy comes days after Unacademy, another edtech firm, sacked an educator for asking his students to vote only for ‘educated leaders.’ The teacher, Karan Sangwan, was terminated despite not taking name of any politician or political party.
