A storm has erupted at Kerala University after a Sanskrit research scholar accused the Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Languages of caste and political discrimination, following the withholding of his PhD despite positive recommendations from the evaluation board.

The controversy centres on Vipin Vijayan, a former office-bearer of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) at the university’s Kariavattom campus. The evaluation board had recommended awarding him a doctorate in Sanskrit for his theses on Chattampi Swamikal, prepared and defended in English. However, Dean Dr CN Vijayakumari has formally urged Vice-Chancellor Dr Mohanan Kunnummal to block the award, claiming the candidate lacked even elementary command of Sanskrit, English, or Malayalam during the open defence held this month.

The Dean’s intervention, coming after the experts’ recommendation, has raised questions over propriety and possible bias. Critics note the Dean’s reported proximity to right-wing groups within the campus, while the researcher has a background in SFI, the student wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

In her submission, Dr Vijayakumari alleged that the candidate’s inability to respond to basic academic questions during the defence called into question the credibility of the evaluation. The unusual nature of her request drew public attention and prompted the Save University Campaign Committee to file a memorandum demanding that the PhD process be halted pending a full review.

Vipin Vijayan, however, has found himself at the centre of a political and personal storm. In an emotional Facebook post that has gone viral among academic and student circles, he wrote, “Now I hear the cries of my co-born Rohith Vemula. I hear the sinister echoes of caste discrimination. I cannot sleep; life is twisting again.”

He dismissed the charge that he lacked linguistic competence and described the campaign against him as part of a “baseless and caste-driven smear effort.” According to Vijayan, he holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Sanskrit from Sri Sankaracharya University, in addition to BEd and MEd degrees from Kerala University and an MPhil in Sanskrit from the same department where the controversy now brews.

Significantly, Vijayan pointed out that his MPhil thesis, titled “Epistemological Review of Kenopanisad, had been guided by none other than Dr Vijayakumari herself. “She guided and approved my MPhil dissertation,” he wrote. “What qualification does she have to remain as teacher if she now says I do not know to read or write Sanskrit? Was she deceiving the university then, or am I being defamed now?”

He further alleged that the Dean had, on multiple occasions, used derogatory language towards Dalit and backward community students, citing instances where she allegedly remarked that Sanskrit was a divine language that could not be “defiled” by members of oppressed castes. According to Vijayan, such comments created an atmosphere of humiliation and fear.

Vijayan also argued that ideological divisions within the university have worsened the situation. “I have politics; the Dean has politics too. Mine is left-wing; hers is RSS-BJP. She is an active member of a communal teachers’ organisation,” he claimed.

He questioned why only his political background had become a focus of public scrutiny. “Why does the media hide the Dean’s political affiliation while highlighting mine?” he asked. “Why am I projected as a criminal and she as an angel of virtue?”

According to Vijayan, the PhD evaluation was conducted in accordance with procedure and fully endorsed by academic experts. The examiners – Professor Anil Pratap Giri of Allahabad University and Professor G. Padmanabham of Sri Venkateshwara University, Tirupati – were selected by the Vice-Chancellor through a confidential process. The chairman of the open defence, Professor Giri, reportedly recommended the award based on the viva outcome.

“All three examiners submitted favourable reports,” Vijayan said. “The Dean has no legal or academic authority to override the recommendations of experts appointed by the Vice-Chancellor.” He alleged that Dr Vijayakumari’s objections surfaced only after the open defence concluded, despite several earlier opportunities to raise concerns during assessments or seminars.

Vijayan, who works part-time as an accountant in a fish market to support his studies, expressed anguish that years of academic effort had been nullified by what he termed “systemic prejudice.” He recalled pleading with the Dean to sign his file following the defence, only to be rebuffed. “She shouted that I do not deserve a PhD and that Sanskrit had been defiled by people like me,” he claimed.

Citing caste bias, psychological distress, and professional sabotage, the scholar has announced plans to pursue legal remedies. “I will take legal steps. I have no other way,” he said, asserting that “a single letter from the Dean has shattered my life.”

For Vijayan, the wait continues. “The label ‘does not know Sanskrit’ will haunt me for life,” he wrote. “Years of learning and research are dismissed with one accusation. Does truth have no value anymore?”

(Timeline has contacted Dr Vijayakumari for her reaction. This story will be updated as and when we receive her response)