Thiruvananthapuram: The head of the Sanskrit Department at Kerala University, C N Vijayakumari, has been booked for allegedly making casteist remarks against a research scholar, Vipin Vijayan, while refusing to sign his thesis, according to police.

The case was registered by Sreekaryam Police following a complaint by Vijayan, who claimed Vijayakumari refused to sign his thesis after his open defence on October 15 and made casteist remarks in front of teachers and students when he later requested her signature.

The FIR alleges that Vijayakumari has made similar caste-based remarks since 2015 and reportedly told Vijayan that people from lower castes could not learn Sanskrit and that she would clean her room with water after they entered.

She has been booked under sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act related to intentionally insulting SC/ST members by caste name in public. The offences are non-bailable, and police will conduct a detailed probe before deciding on her arrest.

Vijayakumari has denied the casteist remarks, stating that she refused to sign the thesis due to deficiencies in the scholar’s Sanskrit knowledge and issues in the work.

With inputs from PTI