Bhopal: A group of students from Vikram University in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain has accused their chemistry professor of deliberately awarding them poor grades owing to their religion, encouraging religious conversion, and “misbehaving” with female students.
The students, who are affiliated to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS’s) student wing, had initially made a verbal complaint against their professor Anees Shaikh to the university vice-chancellor. They submitted a written complaint late Friday.
Speaking to ThePrint, Shaikh denied the allegations, saying he was being deliberately targeted.
The results of the fifth semester exams, held in February-March at the university, were declared this week.
Vikram University V-C Akhilesh Pandey told ThePrint: “Some students made a verbal complaint to us about being deliberately given poor grades, and showed some WhatsApp chats alleging that activities of a particular religion were being promoted. We requested them to give a written complaint so that we can institute an inquiry and take further action according to the findings.”
Representing the students, ABVP Mahamantri Aadarsh Chaudhary reached the university Friday and spoke to the V-C, alleging that Shaikh had been deliberately failing the students and promoting religious activity such as namaz (Islamic prayer) in college. He demanded action against the professor.
Speaking to ThePrint, Ojas Gupta, a third-year student pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in pharmacy at the university’s technical wing, alleged that he was deliberately given ‘C’ and ‘D’ grades by the chemistry professor. He added that they had submitted a written complaint Friday.
“Despite having good attendance and being a student who scored distinction in my Class 10 and 12 board exams, I received ‘C’ and ‘D’ grades in organic chemistry, taught by Anees Shaikh,” he said, adding that other students, who he identified as Nikhil Mandloi, Vikas Barode, Vikas Parmar and Aman Chouhan, too had deliberately been given poor grades.
Shaikh, who has been a guest faculty at Vikram University for the past 13 years, told ThePrint: “I cannot deliberately give poor grades to any student, including Ojas Gupta, as there are external examiners who come and take vivas. When it comes to checking papers, being a guest faculty, I do not check the papers and they go for assessment outside the university. And besides, if a student does not show up in class for six months, how do you give them good grades?”
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‘Religious conversions encouraged on WhatsApp groups’
Vikram University student Ojas Gupta has also alleged that “WhatsApp groups with female students had been formed” where religious conversion was being “encouraged”.
“Anees Shaikh also made loose comments about female students but they have refused to file an official complaint as they fear their parents will withdraw them from the institute,” he said.
Gupta further accused the professor of “prompting Muslim male students to befriend Hindu girls and encourage their religious conversion”.
“We had two visiting women professors last year who were Muslim, and they encouraged Muslim girl students to offer prayers in the lab. When we objected to it, the head of department assured us that he would ensure the same was not repeated. Moreover, WhatsApp groups were created by women who wore the hijab and they promoted the same among other girls,” he told ThePrint.
Another student, Ramnarayan Choudhary, who said he was a national boxer, accused Shaikh of “deliberately” failing him in the ATKT (allowed to keep term exam) examination for organic chemistry.
“I was allowed to keep term after failing in the second, third and fourth semesters in various subjects. In the second semester, I could not sit for the (ATKT) paper but in the remaining ATKT papers, I have failed. My teachers were only Muslims and two of them were female guest faculty at the institute,” he alleged.
Gaurav Jatav, a second year Bachelor’s student of pharmacy, told the media in Ujjain Friday that Muslim students “are given higher marks while Hindu boys and girls are given low grades”.
He added: “Students are encouraged to convert from their religion and stopped from wearing a kalava (sacred thread tied around the wrist) and tilak, while those coming in a burka are not being stopped. Female students get phone calls harassing them from different numbers.”
Responding to Shaikh’s statement that exam papers were sent out for assessment, Gupta said that being an assistant professor, “Shaikh had the final say on grades”.
“In the past, he has made comments such as ‘tu pass hoke dikhana’ (let me see you clear the exam) to me,” he alleged.
‘Left answer sheets blank, how does one give them marks?’
Speaking about the allegations, Shaikh said that 2-3 days ago, one of the complainant students Ojas Gupta had come to him wanting his grades to be improved, saying he needed over 85 percent marks in the exams as he wished to apply for higher education to Australia.
“But there is little I could do in the matter,” he told ThePrint. “Many other students who complained about poor grades have not turned up for most of the practical lessons in the entire year, and some of them have even left their exam answer sheets blank. So how does one give them marks?”
Shaikh stated that he was being deliberately targeted as not only did he refuse to give Gupta higher grades, but also objected when a former student was called in to supervise the practical exams.
“The student, identified as Sarthak Joshi, passed out last year and was called to supervise the practical exam. As he was misbehaving with the students, I enquired with the head of the department as to why the teacher concerned wasn’t supervising the practical. This incident has not gone down well with a few people in the college,” Shaikh said.
On allegations of creating WhatsApp groups with female students, Shaikh said these groups were started during the COVID-19 pandemic and had all students as participants, irrespective of their religion.
“One of the Muslim girl students had a while ago created a WhatsApp group to sell hijabs and ended up adding all female students irrespective of their religion. The matter was taken up by the administration, she was scolded and the group was deleted,” he explained.
Shaikh added that there has never been any complaint against him in his 13 years at Vikram University. “Even now, neither the V-C nor anyone else has asked me about my conduct. It is through the media that I learnt of the grievances of the students,” he told ThePrint.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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ABVP have their agenda.