Lucknow college principal, 3 teachers booked for ‘assault, caste slur’ on Dalit student

In his complaint, the student, Vipin Kumar, who hails from Lakhimpur Kheri and is a student of Polytechnic (Diploma) second year, says, “On Friday, around 10:30 am, when the complainant went to college, the principal, Pankaj Dixit, said he (complainant) did not have the minimum attendance (70 per cent) to sit for the exam that day. While the complainant was standing outside his office, the accused started verbally abusing him. Just then, teachers Anil Shukla, Satyavan and Abhishek Yadav forced him to leave the spot and said that he couldn’t give the examination. When the complainant tried to say something, they started kicking and punching him and beat him up with sticks. All three of them used caste slurs against the complainant. They also threatened to kill him.” Circle Officer, Bakshi ka Talab, Beenu Singh told The Sunday Express that a probe was on. “We will proceed according to the findings of the probe,” said Singh.

AN Singh, managing director, GCRG Group, claimed that it was the student who assaulted the principal first. “The principal was assaulted by Vipin Kumar after he told him that he can’t give the examination because his attendance is less than the minimum required. The student was then suspended around 11.30 am. After that, he went and registered a complaint against the principal at the police station,” he claimed.

He also claimed that the principal did not lodge a police complaint keeping in mind the student’s future.
“We have called the parents of the student to the college on October 31. We will talk to them and also investigate if we need to take action against the principal after we speak to other students and staff members,” he said.