Stuck to Ambedkar, didn’t speak about Modi, beef ban: R Vivekandanda Gopal
Chennai: Dravidian University professor R Vivekandanda Gopal, whose lecture has been cited by the IIT-M Ambedkar Periyar Student Circle (APSC) in the pamphlets they distributed on campus, distanced himself by stating he had nothing to do with the contents in the pamphlet. Indian Institute of Technology Madras has derecognised APSC for criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The move took place after the Union Human Resources Ministry sent a copy of an anonymous letter alleging that APSC was instigating hatred against the Prime Minister.
The HRD ministry sent a copy of the anonymous letter to the institute administration along with the pamphlet issued by APSC. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle over phone, Prof. Vivekananda Gopal, head of Tamil Language and Translation Studies at Dravidian University, Kuppam, said he had only delivered a lecture about Ambedkar and his relevance and did not speak about the Modi government or the beef ban.
“Whatever has been said in the pamphlet is not my lecture. They have just printed my name on the top of the pamphlet as announcement for my lecture. At the end of my lecture when students asked questions about beef eating ban and other issues about the government, I said I don’t want to comment about it. All that has been said in the pamphlet is not part of my lecture and I have nothing to do with it. I don’t want to comment about the de-recognition issue also,” he said.
Meanwhile, IIT Madras has reiterated its stance that its decision to derecognise the student body was only because the student group violated guidelines issued by the institute. In a statement on Friday, IIT Madras said that student groups desiring to use the institute’s resources were required to be recognized and they were to follow guidelines prescribed by the Board of Students which consists of all the elected student representatives. While IIT Madras does not curtail freedom of expression of the students, it is expected that student groups adhere to these guidelines while conducting their activities.
The statement further said that according the guidelines, student bodies were not allowed to use the institute’s name or any of its official entities in any capacity to “publicize their activities or garner support, without official approval.” “Normally, violation of these guidelines leads to temporary derecognition pending their presentation of their stand to the Board of Students. In this case too, the same procedure is being followed,” the statement said.
