Caste controversy at Ramjas: Notice served to errant staff

On August 4 MiD DAY had reported the ordeal of a professor from the reserved category at Ramjas College in Delhi University, who was allegedly being harassed by a senior colleague for belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC). Finally, the college administration has initiated action on the issue.

MiD DAY report on August 4

The allegation
Hemant Kumar Rajor, assistant professor, department of Chemistry, Ramjas college was feeling harassed and humiliated. According to him, his senior, Rama Kant Goyal, associate professor, Chemistry had been abusing him on caste lines since last year. Rajor reported the matter to college authorities in writing.u00a0

But when the abuses didn't stop, Rajor wrote a complaint to the principal asking him to look into the matter. When he did not get any response from college authorities, the harassed professor took matters to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.u00a0

The commission forwarded the matter for inquiry to the Commissioner of Police. After this, police personnel visited the college to record the statements of the complainant, the accused and the principal.

The action
However, after the report was published in MiD DAY, the principal has issued a notice to Goyal, asking him to produce a statement on his acts and behaviour towards his junior professor. "After two years of my fighting this casteist abuse, the principal has taken formal cognizance of the matter. This came after a report was carried by this newspaper. I am relieved for now; at least my cause is visible," said Rajor. The notice issued by the principal, Dr Rajendra Prasad, makes it mandatory for Goyal to come up with a reply and submit it to the office by August 17, 2011.