Probe into teacher backing beef fest

Thrissur: The beef of contention that threw the Sree Kerala Varma College campus  into a turmoil has landed on the  social media with a teacher of the college blasting the anti-beef eaters and the management ordering an inquiry against her. 

However, Ms Deepa Nishanth, Malayalam assistant professor, who posted her comments on Facebook supporting the right of the students to conduct a beef festival on the campus,  has received  support from social groups.

The college comes under the management of the Congress-controlled Cochin Dewaswom Board,  which has  ordered the inquiry against the teacher  close on the heels of Union minister of state for agriculture Sanjeev Balyan daring the Congress to ban beef in Kerala CDB president M.P. Bhaskaran Nair told Deccan Chronicle that he would  take a decision on initiating disciplinary action against Ms Deepa Nishanth after getting the inquiry report from the principal.

“Non-vegetarian food has not been cooked or served officially on the campus since the inception of the college,” he said.

“It’s our responsibility to act if a teacher comments against such a practice,” he added. Pro-left Students Federations of India (SFI) members had conducted the  beef festival on the campus on Thursday last which ended up in clashes with the supporters of Sangh parivar-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyardhi Parishad who opposed it.

Ms Nishanth said in her post:  “Colleges need not follow temple rituals and they should be taken care of differently from how the temples are taken care of. Those who want to ban beef on the campus may also ban  menstruating women from entering it. It could also be extended to non-Hindus.” 

She signed off saying every idea should be respected till it  enlightened the people and discarded once it degenerates. She  said it  was a comment on a post by a student and that it was blown out of proportion. “I stand by the right of the students to protest,” she said. “I however, had advised the protestors to conduct the fest outside the campus,” she added.

Meanwhile, police are still clueless about the miscreants who bur-nt the college union office on Friday, a day after the clash.