HYDERABAD: The University of Hyderabad (UoH) on Monday launched formal investigation on the conduct of one of their assistant professor, accused of casteist remarks against an alumnus. Students burnt the professors effigies even as the university administration, attempts to resolve the manner internally.
An official complaint has been filed against Dr. Vijaya Ramadas Mandala, an Associate Professor in the university's Department of History, over an email in which the latter was allegedly addressed as "Dalit untouchable idiot" . The assistant professor also went on to refer students from Bihar and Jharkhand as "third-rate, poverty-ridden idiots" over his email.
The complaint was filed by Subodh Kumar, an alumnus of the UoH. Kumar, an alumni from the 2017-19 MA History batch, is currently pursuing his PhD in Univeristy of Nottingham. He has since written to the Vice-Chancellor, the RC cell (Reservation and Coordination Cell) and Students Union 2026 on October 31, 2026, demanding disciplinary and institutional action against Vijaya Ramadas Mandala.
In the email
On April 16, 2026 Dr. Vijaya Ramadas, sent an email addressed to one of the contributors. The correspondence contains casteist, classist, and regional insults directed at the student and others from marginalised backgrounds.
His email read: "The recent German PhD who comes from an untouchable Dalit background also said to me the same thing about his collection of archives in India,".
The assistant professor went to write, "The point was that when you were applying to MBS or other universities, you were from a high-risk country, specifically a civilizationally, politically, and economically backward state like Jharkhand."
The faculty member further wrote: "A large chunk of the Indian population is from non-Aryan and non-wealthy backgrounds, including backward states like Bihar and Jharkhand, which resemble some countries in Africa on the political map of India and across the globe. This also happened to another Dalit untouchable idiot at Nottingham, who is working part-time in a hotel in England after his post-UK PhD."
The email also targeted the student's socio-economic background, stating, "Perhaps these students who come from poverty-ridden backgrounds develop such Pakistani-centric thinking (not knowing that one cannot emulate class, one should be born in a high class and culture)..."
Formally terminating academic ties, the email concluded: "I think I am not accepting your chapter submission... A cunning fox, after going anywhere, would remain a traitor to its home country, as it cannot be a tiger or lion in a trillion years, but would live on with its low-level roots and working-class upbringing. I am terminating further communication with you, but also will not provide academic support from third-rate, poverty-ridden idiots from Bihar and Jharkhand henceforth."
Informal Departmental Resolution Rejected
The department initially sought to resolve the matter internally. On 10 May 2026, Prof. Y. Swarupa R. Shankar, Head of the Department of History, wrote to Kumar informing him that she had spoken with Dr. Ramadas, who had "agreed not to intervene with your fellowship and recommendation letter" and had "also gave an apology letter."
Prof. Shankar assured the student that "the matter will resolve and there will not be any problem from the faculty in your research and career. The department will be in your support."
However, Kumar refused to accept the departmental compromise. In his formal response on 13 May, Kumar asserted that "the matter cannot be considered resolved merely based on an apology or an assurance of non-interference."
"No response has come from the University's side, other than the HOD who was in charge, replied to the complaint, that too from a private mail", a source close to the victim said. He added that the SC/ST cell of the university doesn't have a mail id, failing to forward the complaint to the same.
Echoes of Rohith Vemula and Growing Unrest
The unfolding allegations have reignited intense anger across the University of Hyderabad campus, the epicentre of the 2016 institutional death of Dalit PhD scholar Rohith Vemula. The tragedy had triggered a nationwide student movement and ongoing demands for the enactment of a 'Rohith Act' across higher education institutions to legally mandate strict punitive measures against caste discrimination.
Campus groups responded with swift demonstrations. Activists from the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) burned an effigy of Dr Ramdas on campus, releasing a statement condemning his conduct.
"We condemn the deeply casteist, classist remarks by Dr Mandala," the SFI statement said, adding that "academia is inherently structured around an unequal distribution of authority, with faculty exercising considerable influence over students' academic opportunities."
In a statement issued on 26 October 2026, SFI-United Kingdom "unequivocally" condemned the "casteist, classist, and communal abuse" directed by Dr Ramadas, who holds a PhD from the University of Manchester, towards former students.
Ambedkar Students' Association (ASA) President Dayanithi Bag said that protests would be held to demand the professor's dismissal. "This might feel normal to everyone, but not to students of SC/ST backgrounds where they have to constantly face such incidents," Dayanithi said, adding that the organisation is moving to file a formal complaint before the National Commission for Scheduled Castes seeking an immediate probe.
UoH Students’ Union President Dilshada Raihan also demanded Dr. Ramadas's immediate termination, declaring in a statement that "the university belongs to students of villages, ghettos, bastis, and tribal hamlets."
Statutory Probe Underway
Prof. Jai Prakash Gautam of the School of Engineering Sciences and Technology, serving as the University of Hyderabad’s Anti-Discrimination Officer, confirmed that a formal inquiry has begun.
"The investigation has just begun, with a meeting conducted yesterday," Prof. Gautam said, explaining that his office is awaiting a detailed report from the Department of History and has sought an explanation from Dr. Ramadas. Prof. Gautam also noted that his office has received communications from certain students writing in support of the professor.
A statement from the HOD of the University's Department of History in which Prof Mandala currently teaches, was sought. The article will be updated once it is received. A statement from the University administration is awaited.