Caste continues to raise its ugly discriminatory head on Indian campuses. In a strongly worded complaint dated October 31, five days ago Subodh Kumar, the complainant and a former student, said the email cannot be regarded as a one-off event. “Under the pretence of helping students from marginalised backgrounds, Dr Mandala is only building academic clout for himself, and in moments such as these, his casteist attitudes come into the open,” he wrote. “I am concerned that, if left unchecked, he will continue to exploit vulnerable students in the future.”
Kumar, an alumnus of HCU, said that in the absence of concrete action, he would be compelled to take the matter to the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Union Ministry of Education, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) and other statutory authorities. He also said he would raise the university’s failure to take substantive action despite his multiple official complaints of class, caste and racial discrimination. He has attached a copy of the 16 April email as evidence.
Chronology of Events
As reported by the Siasat Daily and other online media outlets like Maktoob Media reported that, a former student of the University of Hyderabad has lodged a formal complaint against Dr Vijay Ramdas Mandala, Associate Professor in the university’s Department of History, over an email in which the professor called him a “Dalit untouchable idiot” and described students from Bihar and Jharkhand as “third-rate, poverty-ridden idiots”.
Subodh Kumar, an alumnus of the university (MA History, 2017-19) and currently a PhD candidate at the University of Nottingham, wrote to the Vice-Chancellor, the university’s RC Cell and the University of Hyderabad Students’ Union on October 31, 2026, demanding institutional and disciplinary proceedings against the professor.
According to the complaint, Kumar and other alumni of the university were working with Dr Mandala earlier this year on an edited book volume. When one of the contributors communicated British university regulations for fieldwork in India to the professor, he “for reasons incomprehensible” resorted to “wanton abuse of students from marginalised backgrounds” in an email dated April 16, 2026, Kumar said.
The email in question
An email, sent from Dr Mandala’s account and signed “Dr. Vijaya Ramadas M., PhD (History), The University of Manchester, U.K., Associate Professor, Department of History, School of Social Sciences, University of Hyderabad”, is addressed to one of the contributors. “The recent German PhD who comes from an untouchable Dalit background also said to me the same thing about his collection of archives in India,” the professor wrote, before telling the recipient that they were from “a high-risk country, specifically a civilizationally, politically, and economically backward state like Jharkhand.”
“A large chunk of the Indian population is from non-Aryan and non-wealthy backgrounds, including backward states like Bihar and Jharkhand, which resemble some countries in Africa on the political map of India and across the globe. This also happened to another Dalit untouchable idiot at Nottingham, who is working part-time in a hotel in England after his post-UK PhD,” the email read.
“Perhaps these students who come from poverty-ridden backgrounds develop such Pakistani-centric thinking (not knowing that one cannot emulate class, one should be born in a high class and culture) in a country known as Mini-Pakistan – England among India’s rich and high middle-class circles,” he wrote.
The professor went on to claim that “Europeans are, by all means, inferior to the Indo-Aryans in India”, and described the United Kingdom as “a global laughing stock” where “ethnic minorities such as Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans own the decision-making” and which “is no longer an Anglo-Saxon country.” Refusing to accept the recipient’s chapter submission, he wrote: “At Indian Business School, I do alert all the faculty across India not to entertain you, anti-Indian (typical of Pakis in England) across the leadership spectrum.”
“A cunning fox, after going anywhere, would remain a traitor to its home country, as it cannot be a tiger or lion in a trillion years, but would live on with its low-level roots and working-class upbringing,” the email said. The email ended: “I am terminating further communication with you, but also will not provide academic support from third-rate, poverty-ridden idiots from Bihar and Jharkhand henceforth. Best wishes, Vijay.”
There is more. On April 27, 2026, Dr Mandala wrote separately to Kumar, saying he would not accept his chapter submission “as I have enough authors for my ongoing book project” and advising him to submit it to a peer-reviewed academic journal. “Also, do not include my name in any future academic references or in any communications of any kind henceforth,” the professor wrote. The email carried a disclaimer stating that it “does not represent the University of Hyderabad or any student community, but the views of an individual in a personal capacity.”
Meanwhile, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) has flagged the alleged “casteist, classist and discriminatory remarks” of an associate professor against a former student of University of Hyderabad. SFI’s United Kingdom unit and HCU unit have both released statements condemning remarks by Dr Vijaya Ramadas Mandala, Associate Professor at HCU’s Department of History. Both have cited this email that was allegedly shared by the professor to a former student. SFI UK stated that Mandala called one of his students a “Dalit untouchable idiot” and demeaned students from marginalised backgrounds coming to the UK to pursue higher education, claiming that they lack class and culture. He also said that he “will not provide academic support for third-rate, poverty-ridden idiots from Bihar and Jharkhand henceforth,” the statement read.
According to the SFI unit at HCU, the incident was triggered over revisions to a book chapter when the student cited ethical constraints in anonymising individuals in his research.
“These remarks expose a deeply entrenched casteist and classist mindset that determines who deserves dignity, recognition and opportunities within academic institutions. Targeting a student because of his Dalit identity, regional background and economic circumstances is an attack on the very principles of equality and social justice that public universities are expected to uphold,” they stated in an Instagram post.
“The repeated deaths of marginalised students on university campuses have exposed the devastating consequences of caste discrimination, institutional apathy and the absence of effective grievance-redressal mechanisms. Behind these tragedies lie structures of everyday humiliation, unequal treatment, academic gatekeeping and the denial of dignity. It is precisely in this context that the remarks made by Dr Ramadas must be understood.” they added.
Mandala allegedly dismissed the remarks as a momentary flare-up of emotion when confronted by the university administration and the department, SFI UK said. The union added that the students had earlier received academic guidance and recommendation letters from Mandala while collaborating with him on academic publications, and abuse began only when they disagreed with him.
“Students depend on senior academics for references, research guidance and publication opportunities, and it is this dependence that makes such abuse an instrument of control,” they added.
“Dalit, Adivasi and Bahujan students across Indian and UK universities continue to face casteism, gatekeeping and institutional indifference. Caste also follows Indian students abroad while remaining absent from the protected characteristics of the UK’s Equality Act 2010,” the statement read. SFI UK has demanded the dismissal of Mandala from all positions at the University of Hyderabad following a transparent inquiry with public findings and the registration of a case under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
They have also called upon the academic community in the UK to withhold collaboration with Mandala until these demands are met and upon publishers to review any contracts with him.
Meanwhile, Ajith, a PhD student at the university who is also associated with SFI, told Siasat.com that the student who received the email is currently doing a PhD in UK.
He had received a letter of recommendation from Mandala which helped him in his admission. Mandala later approached the student to contribute a chapter for a book he was editing but the student declined citing UK guidelines
.“The student would have to go through bureaucratic hurdles to contribute the chapter and delay his own PhD. It is very difficult to get an extension there so he politely declined the offer. However, the professor got offended and sent the abusive email.” Ajith said. He alleged that the university department also quietly brushed off the matter and said that they were closing it after receiving an apology from Mandala
“Matter will resolve”
Kumar first complained to the Head of the Department of History, but said he received only a formal apology, along with an explanation that the email was “only a momentary flare-up of emotions”.
On May 10, 2026, Head of the Department Prof. Y. Swarupa R. Shankar wrote to Kumar that she had spoken to the faculty member, who “agreed not to intervene with your fellowship and recommendation letter” and “also gave an apology letter.” “Hence, the matter will resolve and there will not be any problem from the faculty in your research and career. The department will be in your support,” she wrote.
Kumar rejected this. “The matter cannot be considered resolved merely based on an apology or an assurance of non-interference,” he replied on 13 May. He said he had submitted an official complaint concerning serious instances of racism, classism and caste-based discrimination, and that a junior colleague had independently lodged a separate complaint about related conduct.
“In a university that has previously witnessed the tragic death of Rohith Vemula, which brought national attention to the realities of caste discrimination within academic spaces, such matters cannot and should not be treated lightly or resolved informally,” Kumar wrote. “The University must demonstrate through its actions that discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated.”
He sought proceedings within a week. According to his latest complaint, his follow-up complaints to the Head of the Department demanding stricter disciplinary action received no further response.
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