Hindu AMU Professor Accuses HOD and Dean of Harassment, Defamation and Communal Targeting for Years; No Action by VC

Key Points

A senior professor at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has alleged that she has been facing verbal, mental and professional harassment for many years, accusing senior officials in her department of discrimination, intimidation and communal targeting. After no action was taken in the incident by the university administration, she says she will now seek a legal remedy.

Dr. Rachana Kaushal, Professor of Political Science at AMU, made the allegations public through an interview on 8 January 2026. She named the department chairperson, Prof. Nafeez Ansari, as the main perpetrator, along with Dean of Social Sciences, Prof. Ikram Hussain. The university has rejected the charge of negligence and said the matter is being examined in accordance with its rules.

Kaushal alleged that Ansari has been harassing her for years, targeting her for her Hindu identity, and misusing his position to bypass her seniority. She says that she had not sought any action against Ansari till date to maintain peace within her department.

In 2017, Kaushal, then an Associate Professor, had filed a petition in Allahabad High Court arguing that the university administration had unfairly denied her promotion under the Career Advancement Scheme. In her petition she stated that she was selectively discriminated against on arbitrary grounds despite being granted approval for selection by the Vice Chancellor. The court ruled in her favour, and she was appointed as Professor.

Afterwards, Kaushal alleges, Ansari began spreading propaganda against her. She says that Ansari attempted to communalise the incident in an effort to defame her; “She said she did not get the post because she is Hindu,” he would allegedly say. She added that Ansari would make derogatory remarks against her and another Hindu colleague, Prof. Upendra Choudhury, asking why they couldn’t oversee three PhDs in 20 years and what they would do at conferences other than waste money. Ansari also reportedly accused Kaushal of discriminating against Muslim students.

Kaushal denies these allegations outright, saying that if she did discriminate against any student, action would have been taken against her till now. She maintains that she has never mentioned religion in any of her complaints, saying that she respects and is grateful to AMU for advancing her career. She asks, if religion was an issue for her or the university, how was she appointed to her post in the first place? Kaushal states that most of her Muslim colleagues and students supported her throughout the ordeal and continue to do so.

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Kaushal further alleges that Ansari once told her to “go to BHU (Banaras Hindu University).” She says that she has audio recordings of all of these incidents, which she has provided to her representation and the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Naima Khatoon. She claims to have lodged a complaint with the administration on 22 September 2025, after which VC Khatoon personally heard her complaint along with the evidence. Till now no action has been taken, she says.

Kaushal adds that before her complaint, Dean Hussain had sent her notice, alleging that she had created chaos in one of her classes by using abusive, derogatory and inappropriate language. The notice demanded an explanation from her. When Kaushal asked for clarification on the complaint based on which the notice was issued, Hussain reportedly cited an order from higher authorities and refused to share it with Kaushal under guise of confidentiality. Kaushal maintains that if a complaint has been made against her, she has a right to know what it states so that she can reply appropriately. Despite raising the issue to the VC, no directive was issued to the Dean for clarification.

Kaushal concludes the interview by saying that she has exhausted all avenues for resolution. As the harassment against her has worsened, and no action has been taken by the AMU administration, she says she has no choice but to appeal to the university’s Visitor (that is, the President of India), take to social media, file an FIR in the matter and approach the court. “Why are you not listening to me?” she asks VC Khatoon in her last line.

“There appears to be a lot of misunderstanding on this matter, which will be addressed on my return,” Chairperson Ansari, who is out of station, said, responding to the allegations. AMU, on 8 January 2026, said that “serious cognizance” of the complaint has been taken and an internal investigation has been launched into the matter.

[DS]

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