CHENNAI: Over 150 faculty members from four campuses of the Madras University gathered in front of Centenary building, Chepauk campus on Monday to protest the recent attack by two students on a professor and to demand safety and security for teaching faculty.
The protest was led by the Professors Forum and the Administrative Staff Association. They also demanded stringent action against the students who attacked the professor.
On March 24, Head of Legal Studies Department David Ambrose was allegedly beaten up by two of his students Ranjith Kumar and Jeevanandham, ML first- and second-year students. The alleged attack happened, a day after one of them lodged a police complaint against the HOD for assaulting him in a locked room and making disparaging casteist remarks.
The Professor Forum general secretary S Sundaram said the forum strongly condemned the attack. The protest demanded safety for both, students and faculty members.
Some students were also creating a lot of trouble on the campus. The administration should not allow the situation to escalate, they averred.
Speaking to reporters, P David Jawahar, Registrar of the University of Madras, said that the two students had already been suspended ahead of a pending enquiry. A committee has been formed to look into the issue. After receiving the report, the university will take final action against the students, he added.
It may be recalled that professor got admitted in a hospital after he claimed he was brutally attacked by two students using chairs, which left him with bleeding injuries. A complaint with the Anna Square police was also filed by the professor. The professor alleged that the students had failed in their exams and on Wednesday came to him demanding that he show them their exam papers. When he refused to oblige them, they created a ruckus.
However, the students had claimed that the HOD abused them with disparaging casteist remarks and even tore the shirt of one of the students.