After calling a Muslim student by a terrorist’s name, a professor of a private university at Manipal in Udupi district has been suspended.
The video of the student confronting the professor for his remark went viral on social media following which the university suspended the professor and initiated a probe into the incident. The college has debarred the professor from taking classes till the enquiry is over.
The student and the professor of the Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) reportedly sorted out the issue after the professor tendered an apology.
In the viral video, the boy is heard questioning the professor over his islamophobic comment. The assistant professor is seen clarifying that he said it in a humorous tone.
“26/11 is not funny. Being a Muslim in this country and facing all this everyday is not funny, sir. You can’t joke about my religion, that too in a derogatory manner,” he lashes out at the professor.
In return the professor is heard contending that the boy is just like his kid and said it was just a joke.
The boy asked the professor, if he would also call his son a “terrorist”. “How can you call me like that in front of so many people In the class. You’re a professional, you’re teaching,” he questions.
Remarking that he can’t call him that (terorrist), the boy says that the teacher should be a professional and that sorry can’t change the way the teacher thinks.
However, both the teacher and the student supposedly spoke to each other and sorted out the differences.
In a WhatsApp post circulated later in one of the student groups of the university, the student said, “Hello everyone, all of you must have seen a video going viral, wherein a student is telling his teacher that racist comments are not acceptable.”
“The reason behind this was him calling me by an unacceptable name, Kasab, one of the biggest terrorists this country has ever seen. It was a joke, which cannot be considered a valid-enough reason to question the identity of a human being. However, I had a conversation with the lecturer and realised that he genuinely meant that apology, and we as a student community must let it go as a genuine mistake. I understand what was going on in his head and would like to believe he didn’t mean it. It came across wrong from a teacher, a person we admire, but it can be ignored this time. Thank you for standing with me through this. It means a lot,” he said.
The university director of public relations S P Kar said the incident was reported last week, according to PTI.
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Rabia Shireen is a Staff Reporter at The Cognate.
