A college lecturer in Karnataka was suspended after he allegedly referred to a student by a terrorist's name. A video of the incident, in which the student is seen confronting the lecturer, is doing the rounds on social platforms.
According to reports, the incident took place at the Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) in Udupi on Friday.
The teacher had reportedly asked the student's name and, on hearing the Muslim name, he allegedly said: "Oh, you are like Kasab!"
Ajmal Kasab was the only terrorist who was captured alive in the Mumbai attacks on November 26, 2008, in which 166 people, including several foreign nationals, were killed and more than 300 others wounded. Kasab was hanged four years later on November 21, 2012.
The 45-second video, however, starts with the student's retort. “You can’t joke about my religion, that too in such a derogatory manner,” he said.
The teacher can be seen trying to placate the student, saying he was just like his son. However, the student goes on to say, “It’s not funny sir, it’s not. 26/11 was not funny. Being a Muslim in this country and facing all this every day is not funny. Will you talk to your son like that? Will you call him by the name of a terrorist?”
The teacher can be heard apologising, but the student further says, “A sorry doesn’t change how you think or how you portray yourself here”.
The News Minute quoted an official of the Manipal Academy of Higher Education as saying that the lecturer has been barred from taking any further classes. An enquiry team has been formed to probe the incident, he said.
Notably, the incident took place just days after the country remembered those who lost their lives in the deadly attack, on its 14th anniversary.
