Bengaluru varsity professor booked for calling student 'terrorist' in classroom; suspended

Bengaluru, March 28 (IANS) The Bengaluru police, on Saturday, registered an FIR against a professor at a private university in the city for allegedly calling a Muslim student a "terrorist" during a classroom session.

The Girinagar police have invoked Sections 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) and 352 (intentional insults likely to provoke a breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).

The accused, identified as Professor Muralidhar Deshpande and is working at PES University in the city, was suspended the same day following widespread outrage after a video of the incident circulated on social media.

The incident reportedly took place on March 24 at the university's campus on Banashankari Ring Road here.

It came to light after a student-recorded video went viral.

According to the charges, Deshpande repeatedly targeted a Muslim student, identified as Affan, during a lecture and referred to him as a "terrorist" at least 13 times in the presence of around 60 students.

The police have taken suo motu cognisance of the matter.

The police registered an FIR against Deshpande, with Affan named as victim in the case.

The FIR said that the complainant came across a social media post on the incident.

As the matter involved alleged insult to religious sentiments and had the potential to disturb communal harmony, the police officer sought initiation of legal action.

The professor is also accused of making a series of derogatory remarks, including statements such as "Iran war happened because of people like you", "Trump will take you away", and "You are idiots, you will go to hell", creating what students described as a hostile and humiliating classroom environment.

The widely circulated video shows the professor allegedly singling out the student and making offensive comments during the class.

The incident has drawn sharp criticism, with many condemning it as religious discrimination and hate speech within an academic setting.

In a further development, allegations have surfaced that CCTV footage from the classroom, which could have served as key evidence, was deleted, raising concerns over accountability and transparency.

Additionally, some students, who reportedly spoke in support of the victim, were allegedly suspended, with the official reason cited as "talking during class".

Sources said the professor later issued a written apology to the college administration, but did not directly apologise to the student.

The department head is said to have apologised on his behalf.

There are also claims that the student faced indirect pressure.

Student groups, including the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), have lodged complaints, terming the incident an instance of "religious hate speech" and demanding strict action.

Following the backlash, the university administration suspended the professor and said an internal inquiry is underway on the matter.

--IANS

mka/snj/khz