News

IIT Kharagpur prof calls SC, ST students 'bloody b****rds,' likely to face action

In one of the videos, the professor is heard calling out a student for sending her an email expressing inability to attend classes as their grandfather had died.

Written by : TNM Staff

A video of a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur abusing students has gone viral on social media, leading to many students and academics calling for her resignation. The professor, who has been identified as Seema Singh, is heard calling the students “bloody b****rds." Based on the video shared, during an online class, the professor is heard shouting at students who were attending her Preparatory English Course classes. A preparatory course is a one-year course run by IITs for students belonging to SC, ST communities and Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) to fill the seats reserved for them.

Three video clips of the professor calling the students names and shouting at them were shared online. In a video, which starts abruptly, the professor is heard saying, “What I have to do, I will do. Nothing on earth can prevent me from doing that thing. Go to the Ministry of Woman and Child  Development, go to the Ministry of SC/ST and Minorities, nothing will prevent me from doing what I have to do to you. Is it clear? Hello, bloody ba****ds, is it clear? (sic)”

“I will call you what you deserve to be called, better by your names. And you will get attendance only if your camera is on throughout the class. If not, go to hell. I will not listen to anybody, nobody on this planet can change my decision if I make it. Is it clear or not? (sic)” she goes on in another video.

In one of the videos, she is heard shouting and abusing the students, seemingly upset with the students for not standing up during the national anthem. “Shameless creatures, you have to stand up for only two minutes for the national anthem, you cannot do it, and bloody ba****ds, this is on your parents, I am calling your parents that. Do you have any shame? One smart fellow did not stand up for the national anthem and says ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai.’ Are you in school now, bloody ba****d? When will you learn sense, you idiotic people? I give you one week time. You don’t know who I am right, I will tell you who I am (sic),” she says in another video shared online.

In the third video, she is heard calling out a student for sending her an email expressing inability to attend classes as their grandfather had died. “This is shocking, this is a total non-application of the human mind. If someone’s grandfather has died, how does that prevent him/her from attending classes? (sic)” she is heard asking students not to approach her directly for such issues and that students should approach the director.

According to a report in The Hindu, the university has taken cognisance of the issue. The registrar told the newspaper that action will be taken and that “in the IIT system, we do not support such language.”

The incident has sparked much outrage on social media, with many calling for action against the professor and demanded her resignation. The hashtag ‘#End_Casteism_In_IIT’ was among the top trends, with many sharing incidents from their personal lives when they too faced such discrimination in universities.

Bhim Army Chief Chandra Shekhar Azad has condemned the professor and has called for her to be sacked. 

“The Casteist remarks made by a Professor of IIT Kharagpur on SC/ST students during an online class are atrocious.The professor must be suspended with immediate effect and booked under SC/ST Act. Casteism will not be tolerated at any cost. #End_Casteism_In_IIT,” he tweeted. 

Also Read

Gautam Adani met YS Jagan in 2021, promised bribe of $200 million, says SEC

Breaking down the Adani bribery allegations: What the US indictment reveals

Bengaluru: Church Street renovations spark vendor frustration and public debate

‘Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairytale’: A heartfelt yet incomplete portrait of a superstar

The Maudany case: A life sentence without conviction