ABVP national co-convenor Kaluram Palsania, who was recently rusticated by the University of Hyderabad (UoH) for calling a professor ‘bastard’, has launched a relay hunger strike protesting against the administration's decision.
Kaluram Palsania, the former ABVP president who was trounced in the recently held students' union elections said that the university should consider his nominal background and revoke the suspension.
Defending his comments, he said, "I asked a question about how can a professor, being in the department of economics, talk about saffronisation and privatization. To question is the right of every individual. But I used an unparliamentary word, which I regretted later and took down the post promptly. Despite an unconditional written apology, and apology over Facebook, the administration has rusticated me, thus jeopardizing my career."
He also said that the professor is yet to answer his questions about why a question about saffronisation was included in the economics test paper and what was the necessity to politicize the class.
“On what basis did he ask such a question to the neutral and students with nationalistic point of view. What was the need to influence and politicize the class? Why didn’t the administration conduct an investigation on that?”
Akin to the Velivada set up in the North shopping complex, which was put up following the expulsion of Rohith Vemula and four other Dalit students, a make shift tent has now been pitched near the South shopping complex where the strike is ongoing.
On February 1, Palsania, who is a PhD student from the department of History was punished with rustication for a year along with a fine of Rs 30,000 for abusing the professor.
The university said, "we have zero tolerance for physical or verbal abuse of any member of the University community in the course of discharging their duties."
In November, Palsania had taken to Facebook and abused the professor for asking a particular question in the economics test paper paper, i.e., "What is the fundamental objective of a Public University? What are the new objectives being thrusted on the Public University because of Privatization and Saffronisation of education?"
Taking strong exception to the question, he wrote, “Bastard Laxminarayana now preaching what is saffronisation. He even don't know basics of Economics and now preaching about Saffronisation. He has became professor only because of his blackmailing tricks." (sic)