On 23 August 2026, Anagha Sasi, a Dalit doctoral candidate at Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University (TEMU) in Tirur, publicly claimed that she faces caste‑based discrimination and academic obstruction by Assistant Professor Arun Babu V.
Sasi enrolled in the School of Environmental Science in March 2024, bringing an MSc in Environmental Science and Management and a research focus on microplastics. She says that for more than two years she was denied entry to the university laboratory, that her research synopsis never received a review, and that a doctoral committee was never formed.
According to her statements, the professor forced her to clean laboratory benches and classrooms, refused her request for a lab assistant, and did not provide a chair in the PhD students’ cabin, leaving her to sit outside while peers used the space.
Sasi also alleges that Arun Babu made caste‑related remarks during a class discussion about assistant‑professor posts, asking students to disclose their caste. She further claims the professor told her that her Kerala State Council for Science Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) fellowship in Environmental Sciences, awarded after a 2024 written exam, was granted because of her Scheduled Caste background and threatened to withdraw it.
Since 15 August 2025, the scholar has staged a protest on campus and filed multiple complaints with university officials. Dissatisfied with the response, she approached Higher Education Minister R Bindu in 2025 and later lodged a petition with the Chief Minister’s Office, prompting the appointment of an inquiry officer.
Arun Babu rejects all accusations, stating that no restrictions were placed on Sasi’s lab usage, that he never compelled her to clean any facilities, and that he is not her formal supervisor. Nevertheless, a registrar’s joining report dated 25 July 2024 lists him as her guide. He contends that Sasi missed two committee meetings because she failed to submit a final synopsis despite granted extensions. The allegations and counter‑claims remain under investigation by university and state authorities.
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📰 Source: Siasat Gulf