Latest news with #S.Ravivarman
The Hindu
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
NCSC seeks report on allegations of caste discrimination against varsity professor; police accused of delaying inquiry
Based on the article published by The Hindu about the students' allegations of caste discrimination by a Tamil professor at Periyar University (PU), the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has asked the Salem District Collector and the police to submit a report. But allegations have been raised against the police that they are delaying inquiry and are trying to protect the professor. Based on the article carried by The Hindu on July 11 titled 'Ph.D. scholars of Periyar University accuse Tamil Department professor of caste discrimination', National Commission for Scheduled Caste Director S. Ravivarman, in a notice on July 14 to the Collector and the police, asked them to submit the facts and information on the action taken on the allegations/matters to him within five days either by post or in person or by any other means of communication. But, three weeks have passed and the police have not inquired with the students who lodged complaints. The commission had also sent a copy of the notice to the District Adi Dravidar Welfare Office. Faculty members of PU, on condition of anonymity, said that the commission notice reached the police within three days. On July 29, two police officers came to PU and talked to Tamil professor T. Periasamy in his room for one hour. Later, a police officer openly commented in support of the professor and criticised the students. 'We suspect the police are trying to delay this inquiry to save the professor. Some private college owners who belong to the professor's caste are trying to save him through their political influence. This same Karuppur police diluted the fund misappropriation probe in the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana skill development scheme last year against the former PU administration and saved the officials. Even the notice matter was kept in secret by the police for the past three weeks,' faculty members added. Meanwhile, the PU administration has constituted a three-member committee headed by former Tamil Nadu Agricultural University dean Manian with two Periyar University syndicate members, Venkatachalam and Krishnaveni, to inquire into the students' complaints and the committee has started inquiry. When contacted, the police officials and Adi Dravidar Welfare Department officials said they are yet to inquire with the students.
The Hindu
09-07-2025
- The Hindu
National SC Commission takes suo motu cognisance of medico's death in Coimbatore
The National Commission for Scheduled Caste (NCSC) has taken suo motu cognisance of the death of a post graduate medical student in a private hospital in Coimbatore. The Commission served notices on the Coimbatore District Collector and the City Police Commissioner on Monday, directing them to submit an action taken report to S. Ravivarman, Director (Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry), within five days. The NCSC took suo motu cognisance of the death of the medical student, K. Bhavapoorani, 29, from Vagurampatti in Namakkal district, and decided to inquire into the matter based on a report that appeared in The Hindu. According to the police, Bhavapoorani, who was pursuing post graduation in anaesthesiology at the PSG Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, was found dead in a restroom, with the door latched from inside, on Sunday morning. The medical student, who belonged to a scheduled caste, was on night duty and she was last seen by colleagues around 1 a.m. on Sunday. Multiple calls were made to the doctor's mobile after she was not seen around. She was found dead in a restroom around 7 a.m. A police officer said there were no external injuries on the body as per the initial findings of the post-mortem examination held on Monday. The body was handed over to the family after the autopsy. A syringe, which was found inside the restroom, would be examined in a laboratory, said the officer, adding that the cause of death would be known after the post-mortem findings come out. The Peelamedu police said that a case registered under Section 194 (suspicious death) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita is under investigation.
The Hindu
16-05-2025
- The Hindu
NCSC team visits Vadakadu; Pudukottai Collector inspects affected areas
A team from the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) on Friday visited Vadakadu panchayat in Alangudi taluk in the wake of the caste clash that erupted during the Muthumariamman temple festival on May 5. The delegation — S. Ravivarman, Director, NCSC, Chennai; N. Suresh, Research Officer, and S. Lister, Senior Investigator, — inspected the hamlet belonging to the Scheduled Castes at Thiruvalluvar Nagar, inside the Vadakadu panchayat and interacted with affected residents. Speaking to media persons after the field visit, Mr. Ravivarman said: 'We have conducted a comprehensive assessment of the damages suffered by the Scheduled Caste residents in Vadakadu. A detailed report will be submitted to the NCSC in Delhi within two days.' Superintendent of Police Abhishek Gupta accompanied the team. Meanwhile, a day after appearing before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court in connection with a petition filed by S. Shanmugam regarding the Vadakadu incident, District Collector M. Aruna visited the village on Friday morning. She inspected the Scheduled Caste hamlet and the disputed temple land. Following the court's directive, police sources said that CCTV footage from the area surrounding the site of the clash had been collected for investigation. During the May 5 clash, over 20 individuals were injured, and properties, including a Dalit woman's hut and several vehicles, were set ablaze. So far, 29 persons have been arrested — 21 from the Most Backward Class (MBC) community and eight from the Scheduled Caste group — under various charges, including provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
