The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) unit of University of Hyderabad has demanded immediate termination of the employment of Vijaya Ramadas, associate professor in the Department of History, over alleged casteist, classist and racist remarks directed at a former university student.
In a statement, the SFI unit cited email correspondence dated April 16, 2026, in which Mr. Ramadas allegedly made derogatory remarks about the student’s caste, class and regional background, particularly referring to people from Bihar and Jharkhand as “poverty-ridden idiots”.
Portions of the purported correspondence also showed: “untouchable Dalit background; civilisationally, politcally, and economically backward state like Jharkhand; Dalit untouchable idiot”.
The emails reportedly followed a disagreement over revisions to a book chapter intended for an edited volume to be published by Bloomsbury.
The SFI unit also alleged that the professor threatened to discourage academics across India from supporting the student. The organisation said it had submitted formal complaints to university authorities, including the Vice-Chancellor. The affected student had also approached the university administration and the Reservation and Coordination Cell.
Published – November 10, 2026 06:40 pm IST
