NIT Calicut puts on hold suspension of Dalit student who protested Ayodhya event

The National Institute of Technology (NIT), Calicut has put on hold a controversial year-long suspension order issued to a student who protested against the Ram Temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya.

Vysakh Premkumar, a Dalit student, was suspended on Wednesday by the Dean of Students' Welfare accusing him of provoking 'unlawful gathering', which resulted in 'campus unrest' on January 22. Vysakh is a fourth-year BTech student at NIT-C.

The suspension had led to widespread protests on the campus with the participation of all major students' unions, including SFI, KSU and Fraternity Movement. A large number of students also staged a sit-in at the main entrance late into Thursday evening prompting the authorities to have a rethink.

“As per the directives of the competent authority, the decision to suspend Vyaskh Premkumar is hereby placed on hold until the appellant authority decides the appeal submitted by the concerned student,” read the latest order issued by the Dean of Students' Welfare.

Besides Vysakh, the Students' Affairs Council had also expressed a 'collective concern' over the suspension. The SAC had demanded the suspension to be revoked 'immediately' and 'unconditionally' and called for a 'fair and unbiased enquiry'.

Onmanorama had reported the incidents on January 22 when a few students protested the celebration of the Ayodhya event on the campus with placards that read 'India is not a Rama Rajya'. Vysakh was allegedly assaulted by a pro-Hindu group that shouted 'Jai Shri Ram' and painted a saffron map of India on the campus.