Remark on Kashi Vishwanath Temple: Lucknow professor assaulted on campus

New Delhi, May 19: A Lucknow University professor was allegedly assaulted by a student on the campus on Wednesday, days after he triggered a controversy with his remarks on the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

The incident occurred around 1 pm outside the proctor's office.

"Karthik Pandey, a student leader, came to me and started hurling abuses and casteist slurs at me and hit me," Professor Ravi Kant Chandan of the university's Hindi department said, according to news agency PTI.

Two guards accompanying the professor overpowered the student and handed him over to the police.

"I have filed a complaint with the police regarding the incident. This incident shows that my life is under constant threat," the professor said.

The student, Kartik Pandey, is an officer bearer of the Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha, a student outfit of the Samajwadi Party. He was ousted from the outfit hours after the incident.

Lucknow University spokesperson Durgesh Srivastav said Karthik Pandey was suspended for attacking the professor. A committee has been formed to investigate the matter, he added.

The attack comes a week after an FIR was registered against the professor for allegedly hurting Hindu religious sentiments among other charges based on the complaint by the ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad). He was accused of making objectionable comments over the Kashi Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi complex in Varanasi during a debate on an online portal.

(PTI)