Thiruvananthapuram: Amid the controversy over alleged casteist remarks against a research scholar at Kerala University, the Sreekaryam police have registered a case against Dr CN Vijayakumari, Head of the Sanskrit Department and Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the university’s Kariavattom campus.

Police confirmed that the professor was booked following a complaint filed by Vipin Vijayan, a research scholar who accused her of insulting him by his caste name.

According to the FIR registered on November 8, Vijayakumari allegedly refused to sign the Vanchiyoor native’s thesis after his open defence held on October 15. When Vipin later approached her again to request her signature to complete his PhD process, the accused allegedly made casteist remarks in the presence of other teachers and students, the FIR stated.

In his complaint, Vipin also alleged that Vijayakumari had been making similar caste-based remarks since 2015, when he joined the MPhil programme at the Kariavattom campus under her supervision.

The FIR further quotes Vijayakumari as having allegedly told the complainant that “people from lower castes cannot learn Sanskrit” and that she “would clean her room with water after they entered.”

“Vijayakumari has been booked under Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(s) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, which pertain to intentionally insulting or abusing a member of the SC/ST community by caste name in public view,” police said.

Officials added that the offences are non-bailable, and a detailed investigation will be conducted before deciding on her arrest.

Earlier, when the controversy surfaced, Vijayakumari denied making any casteist remarks. She claimed she had refused to sign the thesis because the scholar lacked sufficient knowledge of Sanskrit and that his work contained several issues. It was also alleged that Vipin had plagiarised portions of his research paper from other works.