MIT professor calls Muslim student a 'terrorist'; temporarily suspended after video goes viral

coastaldigest.com news network

November 28, 2022

Udupi, Nov 28: A professor at Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) was temporarily suspended by the institution after he referred to a Muslim student as a 'terrorist' during a class. The action against the professor came after a video of the incident, which reportedly took place a few days ago, started going viral on social media on November 28.

In the viral video, the student is seen questioning the professor who reportedly called the former as “Kasab”, a dreaded terrorist who was captured alive and hanged for his role in 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.

When the professor, identified as Ravindranatha, tried to defend his comments and dubbed it as a fun, the student retorted: "Being a Muslim and facing this every day is not funny".

The teacher then said that the student was like his son, the student replied, "No, if a father says like that, it's on him. It's not funny."

"Will you talk like that to your son? Will you call him a terrorist? How can you call me like that in front of so many people? This is a class, you're professional, and you're teaching. You can't call me that," the student was heard replying.

The teacher can be seen apologising to the student later in the video.

After the video went viral, MIT suspended the professor and ordered an internal inquiry.

"We condemn such kind of incidents as we are an institute that believes in sarwa dharma (equal respect to all religions) and vasudhaiva kutumbkam (one world, one family). Appropriate action is being taken on this issue and we are doing the needful. Counselling is being given to the student, and the professor is kept under suspension until the probe is completed," SP Kar, Director of Public Relations, Manipal University, is quoted as saying.

"We don't know right now because the incident took place during one of his normal sessions and it is challenging to trace the dialogue that led to this issue. Therefore, we have taken suo motu action. The student is really anxious because nobody actually expected this. And we have no idea who recorded the video, etc.

"We were ensuring that the institution should run efficiently. Only the concerned professor may provide particular answers because the investigation is ongoing," said SP Kar.

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Taliban appoints Ikramuddin Kamil as acting consul in Mumbai as India-Afghan ties improve

News Network

November 12,2024

The Taliban regime has appointed Ikramuddin Kamil as the acting consul in the Afghan mission in Mumbai, Afghan media has reported.

It is the first such appointment made by the Taliban set up to any Afghan mission in India.

There was no immediate comment from the Indian side on the appointment that came.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan has announced the appointment of Kamil as the acting consul in Mumbai, the Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency reported on Monday, citing unnamed sources.

"He is currently in Mumbai, where he is fulfilling his duties as a diplomat representing the Islamic Emirate," it said.

The appointment is part of Kabul's efforts to strengthen diplomatic ties with India and enhance its presence abroad, the media outlet said

Kamil holds a PhD degree in international law and previously served as the deputy director in the department of security cooperation and border affairs in the foreign ministry, it said.

He is expected to facilitate consular services and represent the interests of Afghanistan in India, the report added.

Kamil's appointment comes days after the external affairs ministry's point-person for Afghanistan held talks with the Taliban's acting defence minister, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, in Kabul.

Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban's deputy foreign minister for political affairs, also posted on X about Kamil's appointment.

The appointment of Kamil is seen as part of efforts to facilitate consular services to the Afghan population in Mumbai.

There has been almost negligible presence of diplomatic staff at the Afghan missions in India.

Most of the diplomats appointed by the Ashraf Ghani government have already left India.

In May, Zakia Wardak, the seniormost Afghan diplomat in India, resigned from her position after reports emerged that she was caught at the Mumbai airport for allegedly trying to smuggle 25 kg of gold worth Rs 18.6 crore from Dubai.

Wardak had taken charge as the acting ambassador of Afghanistan to New Delhi late last year, after working as the Afghan consul general in Mumbai for more than two years.

She took charge of the Afghan embassy in New Delhi last November, after the mission helmed by then ambassador Farid Mamundzay announced its closure.

Mamundzay, who was an appointee of the Ghani government, had moved to the United Kingdom.

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