Teachers’ body at Calicut University condemns faculty member’s suspension

‘Bid to harass university teachers who do not subscribe to CPI(M)’

The Calicut University Teachers Association (CUTA), a pro-Congress organisation, has condemned the university Syndicate’s decision to suspend G. Radhakrishna Pillai, Assistant Professor, Department of Life Sciences.

T.M. Vasudevan, president, CUTA, said in a statement on Wednesday that it was part of an ongoing effort by the university administration to harass faculty members who did not subscribe to the left-leaning teachers’ organisation or the CPI(M). Claiming that Mr. Pillai was an outstanding researcher and teacher with rich international experience, he said the suspension should not be dealt with lightly, as the former was close to retirement.

“Usually, suspension is a provision invoked in cases of criminal misconduct where the continuation of the teacher hinders the process of an ongoing inquiry or causes serious problems to a section of the campus community. There is no such issue here,” Mr. Vasudevan said.