Dr. C. N. Vijayakumari Appointed to Pondicherry Central University Court Amidst Caste Abuse Allegations

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Dr. C. N. Vijayakumari, Dean at Kerala University, who is currently embroiled in allegations of caste abuse against a student, has been nominated to a significant new position. She has been appointed to the Court, the highest administrative body of Pondicherry Central University, a nomination made directly by the President of India.

This appointment marks a historic moment as Dr. Vijayakumari is the first female teacher from Kerala to be nominated to such a prestigious committee. The nomination comes amidst ongoing controversy, as police previously registered a case against her following a complaint of caste-based harassment from a student.

The allegations stem from a complaint filed by Vipin Vijayan, a PhD research student in the Sanskrit department at Kerala University. According to the complaint, Dr. C. N. Vijayakumari, who heads the department, subjected him to caste abuse. The Sreekaryam Police have registered a case against her under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

As detailed in the FIR, when Vipin Vijayan asked Dr. Vijayakumari if she would sign his report, she allegedly retorted, “Why do you need the ‘Doctor’ title? You already have your caste name as a suffix.” The complaint further states that the harassment dates back to 2015 when Vipin was pursuing his M.Phil at the Karyavattam campus, with Dr. Vijayakumari serving as his guide. She allegedly made casteist remarks, stating that “Pulayas should not study Sanskrit” and that “the glory of the Sanskrit department was ruined with the arrival of Pulayas and Parayans.”