No Place For Bigotry: After Viral Video, Manipal Institute Debars Professor Who Made Offensive Remarks Against Student

After a video of a professor addressing a Muslim student as a terrorist went viral, the University authorities suspended the professor and issued a probe. The incident, which reportedly took place at the Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) in the Udupi district, saw the student call out the professor for the tasteless remark and explain to him that such hurtful statements cannot be thrown at students.

The professor soon tendered an apology to the student, and both of them sorted out the issue. However, it has raised a larger concern about how people from minority communities continue to be stigmatised even within highly educated circles.

Backdrop Of The Viral Video

Breaking: Manipal Univ has reportedly suspended the professor who called a Muslim student a 'terrorist': this is what 'normalisation' of awful bigotry does for which public figures, civil society and media too need to introspect. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/FflAYAhzeS

— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) November 28, 2022

The video, which has been going viral since November 28, showed a student questioning a professor for allegedly calling him 'Kasab' - a convict hanged for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. The professor reasoned that the student and the terrorist's names sounded similar. However, the student pointed out the gravity of the situation and said that labelling him a terrorist simply due to his religion would weigh upon him.

This ensued with an argument between the two, where the professor can be seen saying sorry and brushing it off as a joke. The student continued to defend his stance and asked the professor, "How can you label me as a terrorist in front of everyone in the class? 'Sorry' alone will not help, sir." Adding on to this, the student states that 26/11 is not something that should be joked about as he faces enough problems and stigma every day being a Muslim in this country. Calling him out for dusting it off as a harmless joke, the student says, "You can't joke about my religion, that too, in a derogatory manner."

The professor can then be seen apologising again by telling him that he is like a son to him. To this, the student responds that he would disown his father if he had made such remarks. He also retorts his statement and asks if the professor would label his son a terrorist in front of an entire class. Towards the end of the video, the student points out the bigger problem with the statement, saying, "Sorry does not change your thinking, Sir." The incident was doused off later after the teacher and the student spoke out about their differences.

Holding People Accountable

The video was instantly picked by many who expressed their outrage over the teacher's statements and questioned the plight of Muslim students in the country. It garnered quite a reaction, following which MIT issued a statement saying, "The lecturer has been barred from taking any further classes. An inquiry team has been formed to probe the incident."

Statement by Manipal Institute of Technology on recent incident of a Professor allegedly refering to a Muslim student as 'Kasab'. pic.twitter.com/MOGF9pnV4m

— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) November 28, 2022

The student was applauded for holding the professor accountable for his actions, and he took to one of the student groups of the university to talk about the incident. He said that while it was unacceptable to be compared to the terrorist Kasab, he sorted out the concern with the lecturer.

Conveying that the joke cannot be considered a valid enough reason to question an individual's entire identity, he said that he let the matter go as the professor genuinely meant the apology.

A report by the Economic Times quoted him saying, "I understand what was going on in his head and would like to believe he didn't mean it. It came across wrong from a teacher, a person we admire, but it can be ignored this time." Asking the student community to let it slide as a genuine mistake, he thanked the students and others for standing by his side.

This one video is the lived reality of many minorities who continue to face such treatment due to the community they come from. In the words of journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, the Manipal incident is a wake-up call to introspect about the normalisation of bigotry in the country.

Also Read: 'No Place For Hate Speech, Denounce Bigotry In Every Form': Facebook India Head Amid Political Row