Deepa P Mohanan, a Dalit PhD scholar at the Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU) in Kottayam, Kerala, on Monday, 8 November, finally withdrew her hunger strike. This comes after 11 days of hunger strike and after all her demands were reportedly accepted.
The Hunger Strike
Mohanan sat on a hunger strike after alleging that she was subjected to caste discrimination at the university.
MGU was subsequently directed by the government to remove the professor accused of casteism. If the decision by the university remained pending, the state government would directly ask the professor to resign.
She has been on a hunger strike since 29 October, outside the International and Inter University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IIUCNN) at MGU. Mohanan claims that for the last 10 years, her progress is being scuttled by the director of the institute, Nandakumar Kalarickal, allegedly because she is a Dalit.
Professor Nandakumar who was earlier removed from the director’s post, has now been removed from the university’s nanoscience department.
‘Dancing With Happiness’: Well-Wishers React
Announcing the “historical success” of the scholar’s hunger strike, a social media user said, “I’m dancing with happiness.”
Another user tweeted saying, “We won.”
More reactions were seen on Twitter since.
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