CUK students protest harassment of female student at Ganderbal campus
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, students of the Department of Chemistry at the Central University of Kashmir (CUK) staged a protest at the university’s Nunner campus in Ganderbal district over the harassment of a female student by the Head of the Department of Chemistry, Dr Chinnappan Baskar.
The protesting students boycotted classes and laboratory sessions and raised slogans demanding action against the Head of Department. The protest was held on the campus and drew the attention of senior university officials.
The students said that grievances against the Head of Department had persisted for several months, including verbal abuse during classes and harassment of a female student.
Registrar of the Central University of Kashmir, Prof. Nisar Ahmad Mir, told media persons that the university took cognizance of the matter after students staged a protest at the Nunner campus and submitted a complaint against Dr Chinnappan Baskar.
The Central University of Kashmir has removed Dr Chinnappan Baskar as Head of the Department and attached him to the office of the Dean Academic Affairs pending an inquiry into the complaint.
A senior university official said the administration had received a formal complaint from students and would constitute an internal inquiry committee to examine the allegations. The official said the university takes complaints concerning student welfare, academic integrity and harassment seriously, adding that students could also approach the Internal Complaints Committee.
Observers often debate the geo-political implications of non-local appointments in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Critics say that appointments and selections at universities are increasingly influenced by political considerations and the policies of the BJP-led government, which they say favour the appointment of non-Kashmiri individuals, including those perceived to be associated with the BJP or RSS ideology.
