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Unacademy row: Internet digs out old video of educator calling tribals ‘stupid’
An old video of Unacademy has resurfaced on social media in which the educator can be heard making derogatory remarks about tribals.
With edtech platform Unacademy facing backlash for sacking an educator who asked to vote for ‘educated candidates’, social media users have dug out an old video of another educator who called tribals “stupid” during one of his lectures. Sharing a 14-second clip, a social media user said that the educator continues to be a part of Unacademy despite making a derogatory and offensive statement.
In the clip, the educator Siddharth Singh could be heard saying in Hindi, “Tribal log jo hote hain hamare, dimaag toh hota nahi unke paas koi, nahi unke paas koi, you know, kanooni koi kagaaz hote hai zameen zaydad ke (Tribal people are stupid. They also lack legal documents related to land and property).”
The video first surfaced in September 2021 triggering outrage, following which Unacademy took it down from its page. The edtech firm also issued a statement expressing regret over the remarks and the “hurt the comment has caused.”
“It has been brought to our notice that in a recent video created by one of our Educators Mr. Siddharth Singh, he has made discriminatory and hurtful comments against people from indigenous tribes,” the statement read.
“Unacademy has deleted the original video and has penalised the Educator, in compliance with our internal Code of Conduct guidelines. Unacademy unconditionally regrets the comments made by the Educator and the hurt the comment has caused,” it added.
Unacademy has been in the eye of controversy since an educator, Karan Sangwan, appealed to students to vote for educated candidates while complaining about the new bills that seek to replace the colonial-era IPC, CrPC, and Indian Evidence Act. Unacademy sacked Karan Sangwan saying that the classroom is not a place to share personal opinions and views.
Unacademy co-founder Roman Saini said that Sangwan was in breach of contract and therefore the company had to part ways with him.
Sangwan, however, said he stands by his remarks as education plays a very important part in anyone's life.
"I was trolled. I have been put in controversy. Unacademy has been put on the spot...Maybe they were under pressure because of which they sacked me," he told India Today.
Sangwan also said he didn't make the statement in the Unacademy classroom, but on his YouTube channel ‘Legal Pathshala’, now renamed as Karan Sangwan.
