Thrissur: University Grants Commission (UGC) has sought an explanation from the principal of Sree Kerala Varma College here on the plagiarism row involving assistant professor Deepa Nisanth of Malayalam department.
Ms Nisanth had admitted having published a 2011 poem of S. Kalesh in her name with minor changes in All Kerala Private College Teachers’ Association (AKPCTA) journal in November.
The UGC's southwest regional office in Banga-lore in a letter said that it had received a complaint forwarded from the head office in Delhi and it ‘points to the academic integ-rity of the faculty member’. Based on a complai-nt filed by C. R. Suku, an RTI activist residing at Mulankunnathukavu here, the UGC sought a reply at the earliest and directed to submit an ind-ependent inquiry report.
Mr Suku said that honesty was integral to those in the teaching profession and he had done several follow-ups on his complaint filed with the UGC chairman in New Delhi.
“Whatever be the explanation she had given over lifting of poem earlier, action needs to be taken against her,” he said.
Principal V. S. Eswari said that the staff council would discuss the matter and Ms Nisanth would be asked to explain. “The final decision on the report will be taken by the Cochin Devaswom Board under which the college is functioning,” she added.
In December 2018, after the controversy erupted over the lifting of the poem, Kalesh had demanded an apology from her and activist Sreech-ithran for distorting his poetry and publishing it in the name of Ms Nishanth.
She had blamed her friend Sreechithran for messaging the poem to her on WhatsApp and allegedly misleading her to publish it in her name.
