There seems to be no end to the flip-flops on part of the IIT-Madras management. While on Saturday they had clearly stated to media representatives in front of senior police officers that they would ensure withdrawal of the false complaint filed against The New Indian Express photographer Albin Mathew, this stand was reversed at a faculty meet held inside the campus on Sunday where professors were apparently told that there were no such commitments made.
However, the meeting, it was reliably learnt from participants, saw heated exchanges between senior faculty members and the authorities, where the latter were accused of totally mishandling the situation.
Professor Prakash M Maiya, who is now absconding, came under attack by other faculty members, who had apparently said it was not right for a professor to indulge in such an act of physical assault.
According to highly placed sources in the IIT-Madras, when the meeting began in the morning, the authorities came under sharp attack from senior faculty members, especially women, who questioned the way they had handled the situation. The members had asked why students were used in filing complaints against the photographer.
Photos shot by Albin Mathew at IIT-Madras
Also, some faculty members had said that even if the photographer had committed a crime, it should have either been taken up with the newspaper’s top brass or with police.
Taking the matter into one’s own hands was not the right way to handle such sensitive issues, the professors had said. There was also criticism on why there was an undue delay in apologising for the incident.
However, at the end of the meeting, authorities had told the faculty that reports about commitments to withdraw the cases against Albin Mathew were untrue and that they had only said it would be considered.
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