KOCHI: Taking a stand against misogynistic and anti-student policies, a BA History topper has decided not to accept an award instituted by her college to honour academic excellence. Mileena Saju — who topped the Mahatma Gandhi University’s BA History examination as a student of UC College, Aluva — wanted to highlight various issues that she and fellow students had faced, and are still facing, due to the apathy of the college authorities. Mileena’s Facebook post about rejecting the K Narayana Menon Memorial Award is gaining attention from the student community. According to her, the decision to refuse the award was prompted mainly by three incidents.
“First, the college decided to reinstate a professor who had traumatised many female students in the English department. The Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) report on the investigation against him was very disappointing. They concluded that the professor normally behaves like that, and the female students had misconstrued his actions. He was recommended counselling! But what about the trauma suffered by the students? Don’t they need counselling?” Mileena told TNIE. She said the second incident involved the 13-year-old child of a professor.
“The child was ragged by a male student of the college. Yet again the ICC dismissed the complaint citing miscommunication. Then there are the archaic rules governing the hostel,” she alleged. In her Facebook post, she said, “We students expect a certain amount of respect or consideration from the authorities as we are the backbone of the educational institution. However, patriarchy has been implicitly or explicitly lurking in the corners of almost all the social institutions for centuries. Educational institutions should be a space where such tendencies are identified and destroyed.”
Mileena, who was to receive the award during the old student meet at the college on Saturday, said, “We do remember how the famous alumni who enthusiastically and vocally proclaim their pride in being part of the college had remained mute when the issues were boiling up. We remember not to forget because our memory is history. We may not have achieved victory but we do have a story to tell. So in the future lies the solution. Because we are the future and we don’t forget. Therefore, I respectfully reject the Memorial Award protesting the denial of justice to the women community in the college on behalf of all the women.” Meanwhile, the college management refuted Mileena’s allegations.
“It is wrong to say that the college hadn’t looked into the complaints against the professor. The ICC had investigated the case. However, they couldn’t find any evidence against him. So he was provided with counselling and then reinstated. The college had sent notices to all the complainants asking them to come before the ICC for the case,” said Rev Thomas John, the manager of UC College.