Fwd: Urgent Request from a physically challenged post-doctoral woman scientist at MKU against victimization.

[Deepa Palaniappan]

Dear Friends and Respected Senior scholars,

 

I request you all to show solidarity to Dr Eswari who is fighting for her rights. You can read her mail below, explaining the situation she is facing. In many ways, its not so very different from what our own students face from time to time. This is a historic moment in the city of Madurai where, the entire university students are at strike for the past three or four days. The issue has caught the fancy of media too but still the university authorities are continuing to victimise the researcher. I know her personally and would like to gain as much support from Delhi too since it will send a strong message to authorities at her university. How best can we show our solidarity?? Please do let me know. The students there are asking for atleast a telegram from disability activists here in Delhi which they can give to media to gain further momentum to the issue. Looking forward to a show of support...Her phone number is 09659691919.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Eswari Pandaranayaka PJ <eswa...@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Dec 10, 2013 at 1:56 PM
Subject: Urgent Request from a physically challenged post-doctoral woman scientist at MKU against victimization.
Cc: vetrips...@gmail.com, Krishnaswamy S <mkukr...@gmail.com>

Dear Friends and Supporters of Disability Rights,

I am Dr. Eswari, an unmarried, physically challenged woman from Theni. Both my legs are afflicted by a childhood attack of polio. I was awarded the prestigious UGC-Kothari post doctoral fellowshipbased on my track record and publications to work with Prof. S. Krishnaswamy, School of Biotechnology, Madurai Kamaraj University after completing my doctoral degree from the same lab. I got the UGC-kothari Post doctorate fellowship after informing UGC that I did my phd from Madurai Kamaraj University and asking for special exemption due to my physically challenged condition and having to be near her parents in theni for some more years. My joining report was forwarded by head and chairperson (Prof K Veluthambi) School of Biotechnology, and Registrar (in charge) Madurai Kamaraj University, in June 2013.

I wish to bring to your notice the harassment meted out to me by the Vice-Chancellor of Madurai Kamaraj University, Dr. Kalyani Mathivanan.

I was evicted from the hostel in September 2013. As UGC guidelines state that women researchers may be given accommodation in the hostel, I had appealed to the UGC Vice-Chairman for help. During his visit to the University on 23 October 2013, I happened to be waiting near the students from men’s hostel who were on a strike demanding disbursement of their fellowships.  I was framed as instigating the strike as I was standing near those students who were waiting to meet the UGC Vice-Chairman. Today, I understand from the news papers that the Vice-Chancellor has decided in the syndicate meeting held yesterday, to ask me to leave this University and to go elsewhere while dismissing two student leaders. This is a vindictive measure.

In addition to being denied hostel accommodation, the Vice-Chancellor is trying to drive me out of this University. Now in nov 2013 without obtaining the consent of the mentor or the faculty of School of Biotechnology in any faculty meeting, the head and chairperson (Dr Anitha Sironmani) has given a letter to University that School of Biotechnology facilities will not be made available and I have to go to another University. Based on this invalid letter, the research committee of Madurai Kamaraj University has recommended on 22nd November the same and the  university has passed a resolution in the syndicate dated 3rd December approving this. Therefore this is clearly a vindictive action based on invalid documents.

I have been facing a lot of trouble staying outside and commuting to the workplace and now I am not even allowed to carry out my post-doctoral work.

 I seek your support to enable me to continue my research peacefully in my chosen area of expertise with my mentor, Prof. S. Krishnaswamy. I request you to intervene immediately and stop the victimization and harassment of a physically challenged woman scientist. 

The demand are
a. Revoke the syndicate and research committee resolutions and permit me to continue my post doctoral work with Prof. S. Krishnaswamy at School of  Biotechnology,  Madurai Kamaraj University
b. Take action on the Vice-chancellor and Dr. Anitha Sironmani, School of Biotechnology chairperson for harassing and victimising a physically challenged woman scientist.

Thank you,

Faithfully

Eswari.

Have attached the news paper cuttings. 

-- 

P.J. Eswari Pandaranayaka
UGC Kothari Post Doctoral Fellow,
C/O Prof S. Krishnaswamy,

Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics

School of Biotechnology,
Madurai Kamaraj University,
Madurai - 625021.

9659691919

[Annavaram N.]

If the story narrated to us true in letter and spirit, this is clearly
the violation of human rights of a physically-challenged woman
scientist. In addition to mobilising the public support and media
campaign, there are two options that can immediately be undertaken:
1) Detailing the whole scenario along with the documentary evidence,
if any, she should file a complaint in the State Human Rights
Commission (SHR). the SHR can, perhaps, pass orders with immediate
effect preventing the university authorities from evicting her from
the campus premises.
2) In the same vain, she should also file a complaint in the court of
State Commissioner for Persons With Disabilities, Tamil Nadu, or if it
doesn't work, in the Court of Chief Commissioner for Persons With
Disabilities, Govt. of India – both under various sections of the PWD
Act 1995.

Although mass struggles may appear to have been giving us a relief in
the short time, they wouldn't really provide any longterm solution for
problems like these. She should, therefore, act immediately and get
the things rectified legally. The sooner she acts, the
better&effective it would be.

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--
ANNAVARAM N.
Assistant Professor
Department of sociology
Central University of Hyderabad
India.
Mobile: 8374701417.

[Deepa Palaniappan]

Dear Annavaram,

 

I am truly grateful for the long and resourceful mail you had sent about the issue I had shared. I am passing the information to the fellow student friends at Madurai Kamaraj University to take it forward to higher authorities, the way you had suggested. These are steps the girl has to take from her side. I am also thinking of a token gesture from other university students bodies like JNUSU and DUSU (may be a mail or letter) that MKU students can paste on their university notice board so that the students who are on strike in support of the candidate feel like support is pouring from across India. This is merely a token gesture and does not in any way contribute to the larger dynamics of the struggle, nevertheless, if it would help them in a small manner atleast, then why not?? I will wait for the final showdown happening tomorrow evening, and if no positive result still, would keenly insist upon them taking it up to all these higher authorities.

 

regards

deepa