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A Dalit research scholar from Tamil Nadu, Bharathidasan Raman, who is pursuing a PhD in Malaysia, has accused the state government’s social justice department of targeting him. Bharathidasan put out a video on September 17, in which he said that the department’s delay in releasing funds had stalled his research for months, and he risked being removed from his university over unpaid fees.
The social justice department issued a release in response, claiming that Bharathidasan had not properly accounted for his expenditure.
Bharathidasan, who is seeking Rs 19.5 lakh funds for his second year of research under the state government’s Annal Ambedkar Overseas Higher Education Scholarship, has now displayed documents to challenge the government’s account.
In a video released on Thursday, September 17, Bharathidasan said that the delay in receiving funds had stalled his research for nearly six months and put him at risk of being removed from the National University of Malaysia (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia) over unpaid fees. Bharathidasan is pursuing a PhD in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine.
He also said the delay could prevent him from travelling to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi in the first week of October to present a research paper titled ‘Establishment of an In Vitro Aging Brain Model for the Study of MSC-EV Effects on Epigenetics and Bioenergetics’.
“I have been speaking about this matter since April. The issue was even discussed in the Legislative Assembly. The Minister (for Social Justice) Vanni Arasu denied the claims and I subsequently shared documents supporting my position,” Bharathidasan said in the video.
He said that he had submitted the documents sought by the department, while withholding documents that he said were confidential.
He also alleged that instead of resolving the funding issue, officials had begun questioning the research materials he had sought funds to purchase, and whether those materials were actually bought for his research.
“I had already mentioned my research, my project title and the ethics clearance codes in my earlier email. Now they are asking me to start the entire process from the beginning,” he said.
He further alleged that the social justice department’s questions had affected the trust his professors had placed in him.
“I am specifically being targeted by you, you are using all your power to oppress me,” he said, directly addressing Minister Vanni Arasu.
Bharathidasan, who is from Usilampatti in Madurai district, said he was the first person from his family and village to pursue medical research.
“If you want to tell me not to pursue research, please tell me directly. Please do not inflict mental torture on me. If you cannot provide the financial support, tell me. I will look for alternative sources or other institutions in India or elsewhere to continue my studies,” he said.
He also compared his situation with that of Rohith Vemula, the University of Hyderabad research scholar whose death by suicide in 2016 triggered a nationwide debate over caste discrimination and institutional exclusion in higher education.
DMK slams TVK government
Former Chief Minister MK Stalin said Bharathidasan’s account of facing a situation similar to Rohith Vemula should not become a matter of disrepute for the government.
“If the Chief Minister cannot provide the required funds, he should openly announce it. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the people of Tamil Nadu will pay the student’s educational fees and help him continue his studies,” Stalin said.
Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin strongly criticised the Tamil Nadu government over Bharathidasan’s allegations. He accused the government of targeting the student after he raised questions over the delay in receiving his scholarship.
“These rulers, who blame others to hide their own mistakes, are targeting the student who said he had not received the scholarship under the Annal Ambedkar Overseas Higher Education Scholarship scheme, putting him under pressure and trying to drive him out of education. This is the height of disgrace,” he said.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] state secretary Shanmugam also said he had spoken to Social Justice Minister Vanni Arasu four times regarding the release of Bharathidasan’s educational assistance.
“Whatever the reason, the government should not act in a manner that affects his education,” Shanmugam said, urging Chief Minister Vijay to intervene directly and ensure that the remaining scholarship amount reaches the student.
Government response to Bharathidasan’s claim
The social justice department rejected Bharathidasan’s allegations and said he had been provided substantial financial assistance under the scheme.
The department said the Annal Ambedkar Overseas Higher Education Scholarship provides Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Christian Adi Dravidar students pursuing higher education or research abroad with up to Rs 36 lakh a year towards tuition fees, living expenses and other expenses.
According to the department, Bharathidasan was granted sponsorship for three years from the 2025-26 academic year to pursue a PhD in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine at the National University of Malaysia.
For his first year, the department said he was given Rs 36 lakh. Of this, Rs 5,01,638 was paid directly to the university towards tuition fees, while Rs 30,98,362 was transferred to Bharathidasan’s bank account for visa, living expenses and research expenses, the department said.
However, the department raised issue with some of the documents submitted by Bharathidasan. It specifically said expenditure documents relating to Rs 8,17,962 were found to be unacceptable and that the student was asked on August 20 to provide an explanation regarding the research materials he had purchased and proof of payment for them.
The department said it had not received a satisfactory explanation from him.
Despite this, the department said, it released another Rs 12 lakh for his second academic year after considering his educational interests.
This included Rs 5.57 lakh towards the full tuition fee payable to the university and Rs 6.65 lakh for his living expenses.
Bharathidasan then sought an additional Rs 19.50 lakh towards his second-year research expenses, the department said.
Bharathidasan disputes govt reply
Responding to the department’s statement, Bharathidasan released another video on Friday, September 18, in which he accused the government of repeatedly shifting the narrative against him.
He said the Rs 36 lakh cited by the department was the assistance for his first year, and not the funding he is currently seeking for his second-year research.
“Everything you are saying is the money you gave for the first year,” he said.
Bharathidasan said he had submitted bills relating to Rs 37 lakh on June 8 and questioned why the department continued to state that he had not submitted the documents.
“I sent the bills for Rs 37 lakh on June 8. The six months of living expenses that you provided have also ended,” he said.
He said the present fund requirement was for research-related expenses, including materials such as cells, reagents and consumables.
“But even now, that issue has not come to an end. You are repeatedly saying that I did not submit the bills,” he said.
During the video, Bharathidasan also displayed documents and questioned the government's statement.
“Don’t make the same mistakes again and again. Don’t use all the powers of the government against me and try to suppress me,” he said.
