Kannur University suspends law teacher for including ADM Naveen Babu’s suicide in question paper

KANNUR: Kannur University has taken action against Sherin C. Abraham, a temporary faculty member at Manjeswaram Law College, after a controversial question in the third-semester LLB internal examination referenced the suicide of ADM K. Naveen Babu. The suspension follows a complaint filed by the SFI, alleging that the question was politically motivated.

The question, which was intended to explore human rights issues, presented a scenario where a government official, who was a former Zilla Panchayat president, committed suicide after facing bribery allegations. Students were asked to examine the case from a human rights perspective, aligning their responses with principles from the 1984 UN Convention against Torture, Cruel and Degrading Treatment. Another option presented in the same paper was to analyze the human rights implications in the case of tribal youth Madhu, who was beaten to death by a mob over allegations of food theft.

Sherin C. Abraham defended the inclusion of the question, stating that it was selected due to its contemporary relevance and was intended solely to encourage discussion on human rights issues. "There was no political intent," Sherin explained, adding that the question served as an academic prompt for applying relevant human rights principles to real-world issues.

However, the university’s response reflects a different stance. Dr Shino P. Jose, Convenor of the Kannur University Senators Forum, described the incident as a reflection of discomfort among some university authorities, particularly Law College Campus Director Dr. Sheena Shukur and the institution’s alleged left-leaning lobby, regarding the inclusion of politically sensitive topics in academic discourse.