From: Xavier William <varekatx@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Sep 5, 2010 at 8:32 AM
Subject: Lecturer dismissed
To: india-unity@yahoogroups.com, keraladd <KeralaDD@yahoogroups.co.uk>
The lecturer whose hand was chopped off by the Muslim extremists has now been dismissed from service by the Christian management following th inquiry by a commission of senior lawyers set up by the college. Below is the report in the Hindu on the matter.
Dismissal shocking, says lecturer
Kerala BureauKOCHI/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: T.J. Joseph, a lecturer of Newman College, Thodupuzha, in Idukki district of Kerala, who was attacked by extremist elements in July, said on Saturday the management's action dismissing him from service was shocking and totally unexpected.
The management suspended him from service in March on the accusation that he had hurt religious sentiments by setting a question paper with certain blasphemous sentences. The radical activists waylaid Mr. Joseph's car as he was returning home from church, hacked him and chopped off his right palm, in front of his mother and sister.
"I did not do any wrong and had given my explanation to the management. I was trying my best to rejoin duty, by doing physiotherapy to reactivate my severed arm which was stitched back. Dismissal is a very extreme step. Neither the 32 students who appeared for the test nor their parents have complained so far. … I did not want to hurt any community's feelings," he told The Hindu.
'Action follows enquiry'
Thomas Malekudy, college manager and Vicar-General of the Kothamangalam Diocese, told The Hindu that Mr. Joseph could approach the court or tribunal and seek a stay on the dismissal.
"He persisted with the controversial question despite the college's DTP operator telling him that it might create problems. A Muslim student wrote in his answer paper that he would not answer the question as expected since it offended his religious sentiments. Both the Bishop of the diocese and the Principal had to tender apologies, to prevent violent incidents."
Action was taken following an enquiry.
Terming the dismissal irrational, Kerala Education Minister M.A. Baby said Mr. Joseph "committed a serious mistake, an error of judgment, in framing that question. The entire Kerala society condemned the framing of such a question. He was suspended. Then his hand was chopped off. This took the issue to another level and we realised how an irrational question irresponsibly framed by a lecturer can be made into a socio-cultural crisis."
The dismissal attracted widespread condemnation in the State. In a statement, six intellectuals, led by poet O.N.V. Kurup, said the teacher had already been harassed for a lapse which took place owing to his carelessness, ignorance or lack of adequate forethought. If it had shocked democratic Kerala, his dismissal was as cruel and inhuman as chopping off his hand.
Other signatories are K.N. Panikkar, historian, Ninan Koshy, thinker, and writers U.A. Khadar, P. Valsala and George Onakkkur.
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Xavier William |
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Palash Biswas
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