Univ sociology HOD denies allegations of caste discrimination and mental harassment made by protesting students
A group of 20-30 students from the sociology department held a protest inside the department building at the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) against Head of Department Professor Shruti Tambe, on Friday. The students have alleged 'caste based discrimination' and mental harassment by Tambe. However Tambe has firmly denied the allegations of caste discrimination, and said that she trusts the administrative process to resolve the issues with the students amicably. A separate group of students have also come out in support of Tambe.
In a meeting with the HOD and faculty members on March 29, the students said that they raised issues of discriminatory remarks, irregular attendance marking, and mental harassment, and other issues. A document recording minutes of this meeting contained the signatures of 50 students. However some students now say that their signature was obtained improperly and that they do not support the contents of the document. Subsequently on April 12, the group of students sent a written complaint to the Vice-Chancellor Suresh Gosavi spelling out their complaints. The students say that their concerns have not been addressed despite this.
Speaking with The Indian Express, Abhijeet Vaidye, a second-year Master's student, said, 'HoD Dr Shruti Tambe has been making repeated taunts during lectures and outside the classroom about student's attire, personal circumstances, and one's background, leading to mental distress and harassment as we experienced it being targeted at students from certain so called backward communities. The HoD used terms like 'Chappri' against a group of students, which is really disrespectful and has affected our mental health.'
Denying this allegation, Tambe said, 'I have never ever used anything like that. Not even in my dreams. Forget about when I am in my senses. And 34 years I have been teaching. I have been writing, reading the Phule Ambedkarite Shahu tradition. I have never ever used such language to demean anyone.'
She further added, 'The information of the students' sit-in has come to my notice. I have always tried to conduct myself in good faith and with empathy. I have trust in the administrative process and the student community and I believe that the issues will be resolved amicably very soon.' Vice Chancellor Gosavi told The Indian Express that he was in Bangalore on the day of the protest and would address the issue after returning to Pune.
A student who said that his signature was obtained improperly backed Tambe and said, 'I have not heard the alleged discriminatory statements being made or even heard from others that they were made by the HOD. I would have supported the protestors if I knew anything like this had happened. We had met with the HOD for a different issue in the department, but these unrelated issues were inserted in the document after we signed it.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
11 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Hapur school sealed, probe ordered as roof collapse leaves 2 students injured
Two students were injured when plaster from the ceiling of a government primary school classroom collapsed in Hapur district, Uttar Pradesh, officials said on Saturday. The school has been sealed, and the district administration has established an inquiry committee to probe the incident. The District Magistrate (DM) of Hapur, Abhishek Pandey told The Indian Express that the incident happened at around 11:30 am, when the plaster from a part of the roof fell down. 'There are a total of 181 students enrolled at the school, and 15 students were present in the classroom at the time. Two children sustained minor injuries. They were taken to a nearby hospital for examination, and after receiving first aid, they were returned to their parents,' the DM Pandey said. According to the police, a team of officials rushed to the spot and removed the debris. 'We were informed about the incident by the Gram Pradhan between 12pm to 1pm and we reached the spot within 15 minutes,' said the Station House Officer, Babu Garh, Mahender Singh. DM Pandey described the incident as serious, noting the issuance of a fitness certificate to the school. 'This is a very serious matter because, at the beginning of each academic session, we conduct a thorough inspection of all the schools in the district and issue a certificate confirming that the school is fit for children to study. We have established an inquiry committee to determine how the fitness certificate was issued to the school in the first place,' said Pandey. He also mentioned that the administration is conducting a district-wide inspection of all schools to verify their status. Once the inquiry committee submits its report, we will review it and take action against those responsible. 'The committee,' he said, 'has been formed under the District Magistrate and includes officials from the Public Works Department as well as officials from the administrative and technical departments. They will be investigating the structural integrity of the building and reviewing the fitness certificate issued for the school.' Neetika Jha is a Correspondent with The Indian Express. She covers crime, health, environment as well as stories of human interest, in Noida, Ghaziabad and western UP. When not on the field she is probably working on another story idea. On weekends, she loves to read fiction over a cup of coffee. The Thursday Murder club, Yellow Face and Before the Coffee Gets Cold were her recent favourites. She loves her garden as much as she loves her job. She is an alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. ... Read More
Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Indian Express
Gujarat Congress leader files complaint against news channel editor, anchor for defamation
Former Union Minister and newly appointed Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader in the Gujarat Assembly, Dr Tushar Chaudhary, has lodged a complaint of defamation and under Atrocity Act against the editor of a news channel and an anchor of another on Friday evening. Chaudhary has alleged that the journalists had defamed him and his father, former Chief Minister of Gujarat, the late Amarsinh Chaudhary. The complaint against Jagdish Mehta, group editor of Rajkot-based Headlines News channel, and Gopi Ghanghar, anchor of Ahmedabad-based Nirbhay News channel, was registered in Tapi district. The complaint was registered under Section 356 (Defamation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and various sections of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. In the FIR, the Congress MLA from Khedbrahma has alleged that in a show aired on July 22 on Nirbhay News, Ghanghar made an objectionable statement against him. He said Mehta consented to the statements, which were 'defamatory for him and the entire tribal community'. He said in the FIR, 'A live news debate video came to my personal assistant's mobile phone on July 22' where the statements were made. Talking to The Indian Express, Chaudhary said, 'My father and I got elected from the ST reserved seat, and we are also leaders of the tribal community. Both the accused had uttered statements defaming me, my father and my entire community, and we will not let this go.' Speaking to The Indian Express, Ghanghar said, 'Chaudhary has lodged a complaint against me and Mehta, and we are also looking into ways to respond to it legally. Till now, I have not received any call from Tapi police.' Deputy Superintendent of Police, SC/ST cell, Tapi district, Nikita Shiroya said, 'We have registered an offence against both the accused. We will first gather the original video footage of the debate so that we can determine the topic of discussion, the statements made, and the context in which they were made. Currently, we are at the stage of collecting evidence, and if necessary, we will again contact the complainant and take his statement. We are also looking for both the accused and will see what they have to say.'
NDTV
5 hours ago
- NDTV
Gurugram's Missing Maids and Sanitation Workers Linked to Immigration Crackdown: Reports
The sudden disappearance of domestic workers and sanitation staff in parts of Gurugram has led to widespread concern and speculation among residents, particularly in areas like Ardee City. A viral Reddit post titled "Maid and Cook vanished suddenly from Gurgaon," highlighted the issue, with the user noting that maids, cooks, and garbage collectors had become unreachable and absent since Sunday. "Since Sunday there is a issue we all are facing in Ardee City, the maids and cooks are vanished suddenly and their cells are not reachable as well," the user wrote in the r/gurgaon subreddit. "The garbage collection guy is not coming though. What is the reason?' they added. As the post went viral, social media users speculated that the disappearance of domestic workers might be linked to the recent immigration drive targeting undocumented immigrants, particularly from Bangladesh and Myanmar. Several users shared their experience with maids and workers at their homes and offices who had stopped coming in the last few days. "They're detaining them, 90 per cent of them are illegals from Bangladesh. My maid is also one and she told us that this is happening and she's scared," said one user while another added: "They were illegal Bangladeshis. Now they are either getting deported or voluntarily leaving India." A third commented: "If you have lived in Gurgaon long enough, you would know that 90 per cent of Bengali Muslims are illegal immigrants." See the post here: Illegal immigration crackdown According to a Times of India report, the government initiated the drive to identify Bangladeshi and Rohingya living illegally in the city. The drive led to around 250 people being rounded up at four holding centres located in Badshahpur, Sector 10A, Sector 40, and Sector 1 in Manesar. As of the last update, barring 10, who will be deported, the remaining had been allowed to go by the authorities. The move has led to housing societies that depended on them for domestic chores, struggling for alternatives, as per a report in The Indian Express. 'We have identified 10 Bangladeshis (staying here illegally) from those kept at the holding centres. The deportation process is already underway for seven of them,' Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner of Police (Headquarters), Dr Arpit Jain, told the publication. The drive to round up the illegals was initiated after a letter from the Union Home Ministry directed the state governments to prepare a standard operating procedure to deport, in sufficient numbers, Bangladeshis and Rohingya staying illegally. "If any illegal foreign national is found living in any state/district, he will be detained and kept in a Special Holding Centre…the police is conducting special search operations for illegal foreign nationals to maintain law and order and peace in district Gurugram, for which Special Holding Centres have been acquired vide letter… dated 18.07.2025 of this office,' read a July 22 order from District Magistrate.
