AMU prof lectures on 'rape' in Hindu mythology: cops register FIR, univ suspends him

Police on Wednesday registered an FIR against an Aligarh Muslim University professor who referred to examples of ‘rape’ in Hindu mythology during a forensic science class, provoking accusations of hurting religious sentiments. The university has suspended the professor, who offered an apology for the ‘inadvertent mistake’.

According to AMU officials, Dr Jitendra Kumar, an assistant professor at AMU's Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, made the references to ‘rape’ in mythology while conducting a class on medical jurisprudence.

He was served a show cause notice asking him to explain within 24 hours why disciplinary action should not be taken against him. The university authorities also set up a two-member probe committee, but he was suspended pending the outcome of the inquiry, an official told PTI.

This was because of the seriousness of the issue and preliminary evidence that indicated misconduct, the official said.

After getting the notice, the professor apologised. In a letter to AMU vice chancellor Tariq Mansoor on Wednesday, Kumar said, “My intention was not to hurt religious sentiments of any particular religion and it was done only to highlight that rape has been a part of our society since long.”

He said it was ‘an inadvertent mistake’ and assured that ‘no such incident will occur in the future’.

His lecture, which included a slide show, led to complaints that he had hurt the religious sentiments of students and staff members.

A controversy erupted after someone posted a video clip of the lecture on social media. The AMU authorities acted after reporters approached them for comment on Wednesday.

The AMU authorities initially issued a show cause notice on the recommendation of the dean of the faculty of medicine, Prof Rakesh Bhargava.

“You deliberately and maliciously played a slide in the powerpoint (presentation) in the classroom under the heading Rape, so as to outrage the religious feelings of a particular community,” the notice from AMU Registrar Abdul Hamid said, warning him of possible disciplinary action.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad termed the professor's suspension an ‘eyewash’. In a tweet, VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal demanded that he should be booked under the stringent National Security Act and sent behind the bars.

In another tweet, he said AMU should be ‘sanitised’ completely to put an end to its ‘anti-Hindu’ and ‘anti-national’ mindset.

The FIR was registered with the city's Civil Lines police station on the basis of a complaint filed by a BJP leader.

Police sources said the case has been registered under the Indian Penal Code sections 153A (promoting enmity between on ground of religion), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings by insulting or religious beliefs), 298 (uttering words with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings) and 505 (statements conducive to public mischief).