Prof accused of 'promoting Islam', MP varsity begins probe

A university in Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh has set up a probe panel following complaints of some students that a professor was propagating Islam and harassing Hindu students, a senior varsity official said on Monday.

The professor has denied the allegations and said he will present his side before the probe committee.

A dispute had started after some members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) accused Vikram University's guest professor Anis Sheikh of sharing material related to propagation of Islam on WhatsApp and harassing students of the Hindu community.

The ABVP members also staged a protest in this connection on the university campus on Friday.

Vikram University's Vice-Chancellor Akhilesh Pandey on Monday told reporters that after receiving a complaint from students, a committee has been constituted for the probe, looking at the seriousness of the issue.

The committee will submit its report in 15 days, he said.

Sheikh, the guest professor at the Institute of Pharmacy in the university, has been asked not to come to the department during the probe period, the VC said.

When contacted, Sheikh told PTI that he has nothing to do with the WhatsApp group and the chat shared on it.

"It is the WhatsApp group of the department and the HOD (head of the department) is its admin. I have nothing to do with the chat. It was a year-old chat which was related to Ramzan greetings and was posted by a student," Sheikh said.

After the post, a dispute occurred among students following which the HOD directed them to stop making such posts, he said.

Sheikh also claimed that students who did not attend lectures were pressuring him to give them 80-85 per cent marks and the dispute which arose lately was after he did not give in to their demand.

He said only three-four students belong to the minority community among 60 students in his class.

Sheikh also claimed he was being pressured and his image was being maligned.

"I will present my side before the probe committee. The allegations against me are baseless," he said.

ABVP's Ujjain mahanagar secretary Adarsh Choudhary told PTI that complaints against Sheikh were being received for a long time.

He was awarding more marks to students of a particular community while harassing students of the Hindu community by giving them poor grades, Choudhary alleged.

The ABVP office-bearer claimed his organisation got a screenshot related to a post on the institute's WhatsApp group about propagating Islam, a chat related to Roza, Ramzan and benefits of performing namaaz.

A Muslim student even offered namaz in a classroom, he claimed.

"We have given a memorandum over all such things to the vice chancellor," he added.