Outside Banaras Hindu University. (Express Photo by Anand Singh/File)An inquiry committee formed by the Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has begun its probe into a complaint that a professor made two research students clean a toilet.
The students, one belonging to a Scheduled Caste and another Scheduled Tribe from Mahila Maha Vidyalaya (MMV) affiliated to BHU, were allegedly made to clean the toilet during a conference in March. The V-C set up the panel on the directive of National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.
“A professor of the Home Science department made two PhD scholars clean the toilet in the department. A conference was going on in the department then,” said a senior faculty member.
The faculty member said the students were “scared of the professor” and did not complain, but a non-teaching staff of the college reportedly sent the complaint to the Commission.
MMV principal Chandrakala Tripathi confirmed the development. “I personally did not receive any complaint in this regard. A non-teaching staff member complained about it and the inquiry committee was set up. The committee is headed by our Political Science assistant professor and has around 5-6 members,” said Tripathi. V-C Rakesh Bhatnagar declined to comment.
