A Dalit professor teaching at Telangana’s Satavahana University is allegedly facing social boycott at the institution over accusations of being an “urban Naxal”.
Professor Sujatha Surepally, who heads the Department of Sociology, has alleged that vice chancellor U Umesh Kumar has been warning students against interacting with her because of her alleged “Maoist ideology”. She alleged that the VC has denied her promotion as the University Registrar, though she was entitled to it as per seniority. Further, a round-the-clock surveillance has been initiated on her to monitor her and activities, she alleged.
The professor, who is a renowned Dalit-rights activist, approached the Telangana State Commission for Scheduled Castes on April 2, seeking action against the VC.
Besides Sujatha, a Dalit student and member of students’ organisation Telangana Vidyarthi Vedika, Karike Mahesh, is also being subjected to harassment, she said.
Sujatha was allegedly targeted by a colleague, assistant professor Penchala Srinivas, who faced disciplinary action in 2019 following allegations of sexual harassment. Srinivas, who teaches in the Department of Botany, was accused of misbehaving with girl students and calling them on phone at night. A committee constituted by the University on March 23, 2019, found him guilty and issued a memo.
“He assumed that I was behind the campaign against him and started the witch hunt," Sujatha told TNM. As part of this, the Dalit professor was labelled as an “urban Naxal” by Srinivas, she said.
“In 2019, rumours started circulating about me that I took students to the central committee of Maoists. Srinivas was behind this Facebook campaign under pseudonyms, spreading false propaganda. In reality I took the students to Khammam for a study tour as part of the curriculum,” she said. An investigation was launched against Sujatha in the same year under Karimnagar district commissioner Kamal Hasan Reddy, who dismissed the allegations.
Srinivas was expelled from the University in 2021 for allegedly working against the interest of the institution.
“Since then, he started stalking me, closely monitoring my online and offline activities. All my Facebook posts were being circulated in right-wing groups, leading to targeted harassment,” Sujatha alleged. Her post on Operation Sindoor led to police complaints.
The label of being an “urban Naxal” has cost Sujatha dearly. She recently faced humiliation during the Republic Day event at the University. While Sujatha, as Principal of the Arts College, was supposed to hoist the national flag, the event had to be called off over protests of her being an ‘anti-national’.
The fresh harassment against her in the institution began after Srinivas was hired again by the University, allegedly defying the norms. He joined the University on April 1. Currently students are protesting the management’s decision.
Sujatha alleged that vice chancellor Umesh Kumar, in collusion with Srinivas, is targeting her by trying to undermine her seniority and spreading false propaganda against her.
“I was removed from the post of Dean of Arts College and denied positions and opportunities that are rightfully mine,” Sujatha said.
According to Sujatha, the VC has initiated surveillance on her, monitoring her daily activities. She said, “There has been targeted and excessive surveillance, including the installation of cameras near my room and monitoring of my movements. Students are being warned against interacting with me, which is a clear violation of my right to privacy and academic freedom.”
“There has been systematic defamation and caste-based targeting, including attempts to portray me and a Dalit student as an ‘urban Naxal’ and discouraging students from associating with us.”
Expressing solidarity with Sujatha, the Save Education Committee demanded immediate intervention. "Despite possessing all necessary qualifications and experience, removing a Dalit woman professor, who also holds additional responsibilities as Principal, is an act of vindictiveness," said professors K Chakradhar Rao, G Haragopal, and K Lakshminarayana, who serve as president and secretaries of the Committee.
On April 9, Sujatha filed a complaint with the police against Srinivas and the VC.
“I am being subjected to systematic targeting and character assassination by Penchala Srinivas, a former contract lecturer in Botany, who was earlier expelled from the University. He has a documented history of misconduct, including allegations of inappropriate behaviour with female students, late-night harassment calls, and subsequent disciplinary inquiry by the university,” she stated.
Alleging that Srinivas was behind terming her a Maoist, she said that the campaign was “thoroughly investigated by both the police authorities (under Sri Kamal Hasan Reddy) and the University, and was found to be completely untrue.”
Sujatha said that Srinivas is again attempting to malign her reputation by branding her with false ideological affiliations. “He is allegedly mobilising students, particularly from certain student organisations, to file motivated and false complaints against me with the intention of damaging my professional standing. It is deeply distressing to state that such actions appear to be supported and encouraged by the current Vice Chancellor, Professor Umesh Kumar, who has failed to uphold institutional neutrality and instead enabled a hostile environment against me,” the complaint read.