A few days ago, a video of a professor from IIT Kharagpur surfaced where she was seen hurling abuses and making derogatory remarks on students belonging to the scheduled castes and scheduled tribe during a video conference. Three video clips of the professor shouting and abusing students in a video conference made rounds on social media evoking strong reactions from netizens who expressed their displeasure condemning the professor's unprofessional and uncouth attitude towards the students from the marginalized sections of the society.
The professor, Seema Singh, was first seen in one of the videos shouting at the students because they did not rise up for the national anthem. "Shameless creatures, you have to stand up for only two minutes for the national anthem, you cannot do it, and bloody ba****ds, this is on your parents, I am calling your parents that. Do you have any shame?" the professor said.
Another video caught the professor stating the following, "What I have to do, I will do. Nothing on earth can prevent me from doing that thing. Go to the Ministry of Woman and Child Development, go to the Ministry of SC/ST and Minorities, nothing will prevent me from doing what I have to do to you. Is it clear? Hello, bloody ba****ds, is it clear?"
In another video, she was seen reprimanding a student who sent her an email to notify her inability to attend class due to the demise of her grandfather.
Over 800 IIT alumni wrote an open letter to the Director of IIT Kharagpur seeking the removal of the professor for making such insensitive comments, saying they are 'disgusted and shocked' over this incident. The letter was signed by various alumni from the IIT branches of Kharagpur, Bombay, Madras, and Roorkee.
"IITs are already notoriously hostile to Dalit, Adivasi, and backward caste students. It is evident from the videos that Professor Singh is a habitual offender and believes her casteism and abuse will go uncensured. We cannot allow this," the IIT alumni stated in the letter.
The alumni put forth 6 demands including the termination of professor Seema Singh. They demanded the institute to arrange for all necessary support to concerned students to cope with the unwarranted humiliation and an establishment of an anti-caste discrimination cell on campus that can take strict action against casteism.
"We demand that 1) IIT KGP and Professor Singh issue an unconditional apology to the students. 2) The institute terminate Professor Singh. 3) The institute take strong punitive action against Professor Singh - her behavior attracts provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. 4) The institute arrange for all necessary support to concerned students to cope with the unwarranted humiliation. 5. The institute set up a SC, ST, and OBC Cell (along the lines of those in other universities and UGC letter no. F.1–26/76 (CP/SCT) dated June 27, 1979) to act as an anti-caste discrimination cell, take strict action against casual and structural casteism and work towards sensitizing the campus about structural discrimination. 6. The institute take all steps necessary to ensure that students are treated with dignity and respect, and that casteism is eradicated from the campus," the letter stated.
Meanwhile, professor Seema Singh issued an apology stating in an email, "It was never the slightest intention to be discriminatory towards any segment of the student community," She said she 'went overboard' due to immense stress caused by her testing positive for the novel coronavirus.
A further investigation undertaken by IIT Kharagpur on this incident is still underway.