Teachers of the University of Calicut have protested against the alleged attempts of Vice-Chancellor (VC) M. Abdul Salam and Pro Vice-Chancellor (PVC) K. Ravindranath to suspend well-known taxonomist A.K. Pradeep and Women’s Studies associate professor Moli Kuruvila.
Teachers under the banner of the Calicut University Teachers’ Association (CUTA) raised a banner of protest on Monday condemning the university’s move against teachers of good repute. The CUTA accused Dr. Salam and Mr. Ravindranath of harassing the teachers for no valid reasons. “University teachers are not the slaves of the VC and PVC,” said P. Raveendran, president, CUTA. He said the teachers were expected to function under the provisions of the university Act and Statutes. “Neither Dr. Pradeep nor Dr. Kuruvila has violated any of the provisions of the Act and Statues.”
The university authorities have been accused of harassing teachers who refused to shoulder additional responsibilities. Dr. Pradeep and Dr. Kuruvila are being targeted for their refusal to take some additional charges as they wanted to focus on teaching and academic research.
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Dr. Pradeep is a well known taxonomist in the country and some of his discoveries have earned praise for the university. The CUTA blamed the university administration for the anti-academic activities it initiated in recent times. It asked the government to be cautious while appointing VCs and PVCs. “The government should ensure that individuals of high academic merit, personal integrity and democratic values occupy such offices.”