University of Hyderabad rusticates student for ‘abusive’ post against professor

Kaluram Palsaniya was a doctoral student with the history department at the University of Hyderabad.The decision to rusticate followed a detailed inquiry into the incident by a seven-member proctorial board.

The University of Hyderabad on Thursday rusticated a research scholar associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) for one year after he was found guilty of posting a derogatory Facebook message against a Dalit professor last November.

Kaluram Palsaniya was rusticated for one year for posting a derogatory message on Faceook against professor K Laxminarayana. (AP File Photo/Representative image)

A university spokesperson said the decision to rusticate Kaluram Palsaniya, a doctoral student with the history department, followed a detailed inquiry into the incident by a seven-member proctorial board comprising a retired judge, police officers and senior faculty members. The research scholar was found guilty of abusing and questioning the credentials of economics professor K Laxminarayana on his Facebook page.

Palsaniya, a national council member of the ABVP, had unsuccessfully contested for the president’s post in the recent student union polls. “We have zero tolerance for physical or verbal abuse of any member of the university community in the course of discharging his or her duties. The university holds the academic autonomy and integrity of its well-qualified teachers in high regard,” the spokesperson said.

On November 26, Palsaniya allegedly referred to professor Laxminarayana with an offensive term in a Facebook post decrying a post-graduate examination question on saffronisation of education. “B******d Laxminarayana now preaching what is saffronisation. He doesn’t even know basics of economics and now preaching about saffronisation… He has become professor only because of his blackmailing tricks (sic).”

Four days later, the professor lodged a complaint against Palsaniya with university vice-chancellor P Appa Rao Podile. The complaint was later referred to the proctorial board.

Palsaniya could not be reached for comment.