T Vijayalakshmi, the Director-in-Charge of Students Services at Kerala University says that she is on indefinite leave because she is scared to go back to her work place. Her own students have threatened to kill her, if she comes back on campus, alleges Vijayalakshmi.
“SFI students have threatened to kill me. So, I am sitting at home without even going outside. I have given a complaint to the police, the Chief Minister and even the Governor,” says Vijayalakshmi, asking where the security of women promised by the current government was. Asserting that she went through physical and mental torture on March 30, she says that she may never be able to go back to her duties out of fear.
On March 30, a group of students affiliated with the Students Federation of India gheraoed Vijayalakshmi and University Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr N Veeramanikandan, alleging that they have not released funds for the university’s youth festival.
However, Vijayalakshmi alleges that SFI students, under the leadership of CPI (M)-affiliated University Syndicate member AA Rahim, were forcing her to sanction Rs 7 lakh illegally. “Earlier itself they were not happy with me as I did things in an organised way and was careful with sanctioning funds. The amount they asked for was not according to procedure, and so we withheld it,” she says.
On that day, she says, a large group of students gheraoed her for almost three hours without even allowing her to get up from her chair. “For three hours, they were shouting abuses in my ears. They did not even allow me to go to the toilet. The girls, who were standing close to me, plucked out my hair one by one, which was very painful. They also poked me with pens while they stood behind me,” she said.
“Rahim told me that the director’s post is equal to a peon’s post so I should just keep quiet. He also told me I would be killed if I came back to university,” she says.
Vijayalakshmi says that she stood for the truth, but doesn’t know how to face people with political backing. “Apart from all the torture on that day, in public, these students and syndicate members were alleging that I have an extra-marital relationship with the Pro-VC, which was more painful,” she alleges.
She also alleges that former MLA Sivankutty, who arrived at the office while the students were gheraoing her, laughed at her and asked if there was any truth in the students’ allegation of her relationship with the Pro-VC.
“He asked this in front of everyone. I was insulted and felt like crying loudly,” Vijayalakshmi says.
She also alleges that among those gheraoing her, outsiders (not students) were also present. “For the next two days I was not able to sleep properly out of trauma. I am teacher, I can’t even think of the abuses they hurled at me,” she says.
“The only reason they are angry with me because I allot funds only through proper procedures, in an organised way. I have got information that they had planned to assault me earlier itself,” she alleges.
However, Amal R, General Secretary of the University union denies all the allegations made by Vijayalakshmi, and says that she intentionally did not release the funds, though there were no irregularities involved.
“The University had sanctioned Rs 10 lakh for this fest. The amount was too less to conduct the fest, but the rest we managed through advertisements. What is the irregularity in sanctioning allotted funds? Nobody has threatened her here,” he says.
Photos : Sreekesh Raveendran Nair