Andhra Pradesh - Tirupati   

Controversy continues over poster demeaning Ambedkar

Special Correspondent

Justice Punnaiah criticises inaction on the part of college, police

TIRUPATI: K. Punnaiah, Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh State Committee on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes on Wednesday criticised inaction on the part of college authorities and the police with regard to the episode wherein a section of students allegedly belonging to the `forward class' displayed a controversial poster in the notice board of the veterinary college. The poster carried highly derogatory remarks against Dr. Ambedkar. Holding a sitting on the college premises to discuss the episode, Justice Punnaiah also noted that the college had a bad track record in the manner they treated dalits and pointed out that the committee had received a number of complaints about caste discrimination on the campus. "I am aware that the atrocities against SCs/STs in the college is rampant," he said and cited instances wherein dalit students were made to sit on a separate bench in the college, hostel and canteen.

Even as the visibly enraged dalit students let off steam against caste discrimination, he asked one of them to read out in public the `the filthy and unprintable language' used by a non-dalit group of students to abuse Dr. Ambedkar in the poster.

Result of feud

The incident was an offshoot of a feud between the two groups.

The students in their oral and written representations said the very fact that dalit students who joined the college as long ago as 1997-98 were still languishing on the campus spoke volumes about the state of affairs on the campus. They urged the panel to intervene and get the `well-entrenched forward caste teachers' immediately transferred and save them from harassment and rescue their career as well.

Justice Punnaiah remarked that what was happening on the campus was a patent violation of Article 14 of the Constitution which ensured right to equality and regretted that despite repeated complaints neither the then town DSP nor the college authorities took any action against the guilty.

He was also unhappy that though six students were suspended in connection with the controversial wall poster issue, it was lifted within 24 hours. Among the other members present at the sitting were: T.V. Narayana, K. Nagaiah, Ajmeer Raj Nayak and S. Vijayamma. The College Principal, Sivaiah, was also present.

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