Ambedkar Jayanti Controversy: Dalit Professor at CURaj Held in Police Custody for 4 Hours; Had Written in Email: ‘I Will Not Attend the Political Gathering’
Professor States: ‘We Are Not for Sale’
Ajmer—A serious incident has come to light at the Central University of Rajasthan (CURaj), where Dr. Rakesh Kumar, an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics, was forcibly removed from his own office by the police and detained for approximately four hours. It is alleged that this action was taken without any FIR or formal complaint, solely because he had expressed his intention not to attend an event featuring the Deputy Chief Minister. Dr. Kumar has termed this a conspiracy to stifle his voice and has alleged that the university administration, in collusion with the police, subjected him to communal and discriminatory treatment.
Professor Dr. Rakesh Kumar—who himself belongs to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community—was accused of conspiring to disrupt the Deputy Chief Minister’s event on April 15. However, according to his written complaint, the reality is quite different. The police allegedly barged into his office, snatched his mobile phone, threw aside his laptop bag, issued threats, and held him in custody within the university administration building for four hours. Is this the appropriate way to celebrate Ambedkar Jayanti, or is it a conspiracy to crush the voices of the SC/ST community?
In a detailed written complaint, Dr. Rakesh Kumar has leveled serious allegations against ten individuals. These include Ajmer SP Harsh Vardhan Agarwal, Inspector Dayaram Chaudhary, Constables Ram Gopal, Bajrang Lal Morya, and Anil Kumar; as well as University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Anand Bhalerao, Registrar Amardeep Sharma, Dr. Pramod Kamble, Dr. Anand Kumar, and PRO Anuradha Mittal. According to the professor, on the morning of April 15 at 9:30 AM—just as he stepped off the university bus and reached his office—four police personnel barged in. They alleged that the professor was planning to disrupt the Deputy Chief Minister’s event.
Dr. Rakesh Kumar immediately demanded to know which specific email contained such a statement. The police responded by saying that the email was written in English and that they were unable to read it. The professor showed his email, in which it was clearly stated: “I can’t be a part of a crowd, especially for a political gathering. Sorry!” In other words, he did not wish to be part of the crowd at a political event. Nevertheless, the police created a commotion inside his office. Inspector Dayaram Chaudhary threw aside the bag containing his expensive laptop, pulled up a chair to sit right next to him, and completely hemmed him in. He threatened to send him to jail. The professor responded that if he were indeed a criminal, they should go ahead and send him to jail—but only after first showing him a copy of the complaint or the FIR. Despite this, the police snatched away his mobile phone, denied him the opportunity to close his office door, and dragged him out in full view of the students and faculty members.
Once he had been placed inside the police vehicle, Inspector Dayaram Chaudhary spoke with SP Harsh Vardhan Agarwal and Registrar Amardeep Sharma. Dr. Rakesh Kumar overheard Amardeep Sharma praising Dayaram Chaudhary. Subsequently, he was held in custody for four hours—until 1:30 PM—in a room located near the offices of the University’s Vice-Chancellor and Registrar. Upon regaining access to his mobile phone, he discovered that the media had already covered the incident. However, the University’s PRO, Anuradha Mittal, falsely told the media that the University had not sent any email to the police. Dr. Rakesh Kumar alleges that he had sent the email to only 34 individuals (32 SC/ST faculty members, the Vice-Chancellor, and the Registrar). Who, then, forwarded it to the police? He has accused Prof. Anand Bhalerao, Amardeep Sharma, Dr. Pramod Kamble, and Dr. Anand Kumar of conspiring against him.
Is Raising Questions the Real Reason for the Harassment?
Dr. Rakesh Kumar has long been raising questions regarding students, faculty members, and academic scandals within the university. He told *The Mooknayak* that Prof. Anand Bhalerao and Amardeep Sharma never respond to his emails. Amardeep Sharma’s emails frequently contain serious grammatical and typing errors—an issue about which Dr. Kumar has complained on multiple occasions. Recently, he raised the issue of academic scandals within the university. Prior to this, a professor in the Department of Biotechnology faced allegations of sexual harassment involving several female students (including those from SC/ST backgrounds). This matter dragged on for months, but Prof. Anand Bhalerao allegedly suppressed it because the accused faculty member was a close associate of his. Despite the allegations leveled against him, the said professor was appointed as the Dean of Student Welfare and, subsequently, as the Head of the Department.
“As a symbolic gesture of protest, I refused to participate in this event. This stance was clearly articulated in my email correspondence. Consequently, the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar conspired to stifle my voice and subject me to indirect harassment.”
— Dr. Rakesh Kumar
The email read: “The SC/ST community is not for sale.”
On April 12, Dr. Anand Kumar, the Convener of the SC/ST Cell, sent an email stating that Ambedkar Jayanti would be celebrated on April 15, and that every SC/ST faculty member was expected to bring at least five students to the event attended by the Deputy Chief Minister. Dr. Rakesh Kumar argued that since Babasaheb was born on April 14, there was no justification for holding the commemorative event a day late. He replied to the email stating that the SC/ST community is not for sale. He questioned how they could expect him to mobilize students for a political event when they had failed to stand up for SC/ST female students in cases involving harassment allegations. He explicitly stated that he would not participate in a political event. Four other SC/ST faculty members voiced similar concerns, but neither Dr. Anand Kumar nor Dr. Pramod Kamble (the SC/ST Liaison Officer) offered any response.
Dr. Rakesh Kumar alleges that this was, in fact, the real reason behind the harassment. Vice-Chancellor Prof. Anand Bhalerao and Registrar Amardeep Sharma attempted to stifle their voices by summoning the police. The police initially asked them to report to the Registrar’s office, but they insisted on meeting within the office premises itself. How did the police enter the university campus without the administration’s permission? Why was the detention carried out specifically within the University Administration Building, given that there is no police station located on the campus? The professors ask: Is India a democracy or a dictatorship? Is raising questions, expressing concerns, or simply refraining from participating in political events also considered a crime?
Dr. Rakesh Kumar has two primary demands. First, that he be provided with a copy of the complaint or FIR filed against him. Second, that strict punishment be meted out to all the accused police personnel, particularly Inspector Dayaram Chaudhary. He further demands a thorough investigation into the call records and emails of the Vice-Chancellor, the Registrar, both doctors involved, and the PRO. Dr. Rakesh Kumar has stated in writing that he does not seek an apology, as such a gesture would do nothing to alleviate the mental trauma he has endured. He had served the university with dignity for nine years, yet his self-respect was shattered in a single day.
*The Mooknayak* reached out to Vice-Chancellor Professor Anand Bhalerao, Registrar Amardeep Sharma, and the Ajmer Superintendent of Police via email to seek their response regarding Dr. Rakesh Kumar’s allegations; however, no response has been received from any of them thus far. This report will be updated once a response is received.
Summary
A professor belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community asserts that the very Vice-Chancellor who celebrated Ambedkar Jayanti has, through his actions—specifically by detaining Ambedkar’s own people—insulted the icon himself. Does this not constitute a double standard? The professor has also lodged complaints regarding this matter with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and various other organizations; the entire episode has now become a subject of intense discussion across both traditional and social media platforms. Will the Rajasthan Police and the Central University administration conduct a transparent inquiry into this affair, or will the attempts to suppress the voices of the SC/ST communities continue unabated?
Geetha Sunil Pillai
Courtesy: Hindi News
