Misbehaviour during study tour: Disciplinary action initiated against two teachers of Wayanad college

Pulppalli: The Parents-Teachers’ Association of the Pazhassi Raja College has recommended the suspension of two male teachers, including the Head of the Department (HoD) of the Travel and Tourism Management, for misbehaving with a woman teacher and female students in an inebriated state during a recent two-day study tour to Kochi.

The management was forced to take action against Shelji Mathew, the head of the Department of Travel and Tourism Management, and Sanoop Kumar, a faculty of the department, after the CPM-affiliated Students' Federation of India (SFI) and Congress-aligned Kerala Students’ Union (KSU) launched an indefinite strike against them on Thursday. Students withdrew their protest after the management promised to take action against the two teachers.

Sources said that the female teacher had also submitted a complaint but withdrew it later.

Students said that during the trip, the two teachers got drunk and misbehaved with a fellow teacher and a few girl students. The men started drinking as soon as the journey began from Wayanad. It is alleged that they forced the female teacher, who accompanied the team, to consume alcohol at night. Apparently, one of the teachers threatened the woman that he would pour alcohol on her head if she refused to drink. When students questioned his behaviour, he showered abuse using filthy language, the complaint said.

After most students expressed discomfort with continuing the trip with the two male teachers, they cut the study tour short and returned to Wayanad.

Shelji is the Wayanad district leader of the All Kerala Private College Teachers Association (AKPCTA) and Sanoop is the senate member of the Calicut University and a member of the University Academic Council.

SFI 's district vice-president and a student of the college, Adheena Francis, told Onmanorama that the agitation was called off after the management assured them that teachers would be suspended for 15 days. “Our demand is that, for such unbecoming character, both the teachers should be terminated from service,” she said.

However, Principal (in-charge) Abdul Bari KK said the administration had recommended suspending the two teachers based on a recent decision taken by the PTA. “It is up to the management to take disciplinary action against the teachers,” he said. “Being an aided college, it is up to the management to take a final decision on disciplinary actions,” he added. However, a final decision will be delayed as the college manager is currently touring overseas. 

However, Sanoop, one of the accused, told Onmanorama that he has not received any formal communiqué about any disciplinary action against him. “As the student strike was on, we were told not to report fr duty for the time being”, he said. “After all, I don’t know why my name was mentioned in the complaint”, he said. He claimed that he has never misbehaved with anyone during the trip. Despite repeated attempts, Shelji did not respond to Onmanorama's request for comments