A senior professor at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has alleged that she has faced religious discrimination and mental harassment for nearly three decades, claiming that the sustained stress led to severe personal and professional suffering, including a miscarriage.
Professor Rachana Kaushal of the Political Science Department has accused senior officials of targeting her because she is Hindu. She has submitted a formal complaint to the Vice Chancellor along with audio recordings and documents and has said she plans to file an FIR in the matter.
According to Professor Kaushal, the harassment began soon after she joined AMU in 1998 as a lecturer. “Discrimination and mental harassment started shortly after my appointment. I never thought that my religious identity would be used against me in a central university," she said.
She alleged that the pressure continued over the years and intensified during critical phases of her life. In 2004, while she was pregnant with twins, she was allegedly subjected to excessive work demands and mental stress, which she says resulted in a miscarriage. Professor Kaushal added that her husband, Dr D.K. Pandey, a senior professor at JN Medical College, AMU, passed away in 2012.
The professor has also accused the current Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof Mohammad Nafis Ahmad Ansari, of making repeated remarks about her religion.
“The Dean told me, ‘You are Hindu, go to BHU.’ He also claimed that Hindu teachers deliberately avoid teaching Muslim students and questioned their activities at conferences," she alleged.
“These remarks are personally insulting and undermine the secular values of the university," she said, adding that such comments created a hostile work environment. Professor Kaushal has submitted audio recordings of the alleged remarks to Vice Chancellor Prof Naima Khatun as evidence.
Despite the alleged harassment, Professor Kaushal said she continued teaching for years, hoping the situation would improve. However, she now believes that legal action is the only option left. She has said she intends to make the matter public and approach the police.
