Mangalore University suspends bribe-taking professor

Mangalore, December 7: Mangalore University has suspended Anitha Ravishankar, associate professor, department of sociology, who was caught red handed by the Lokayukta sleuths while accepting bribe from a research scholar.

The disciplinary action against Anitha follows a report submitted by the Lokayukta sleuths to the university authorities, who earlier on Wednesday had stated action would be taken after the receipt of the official report.

"Since she was in judicial custody for more than 48 hours and we received the report (from the Lokayukta) in the afternoon, orders were issued suspending Anitha," officials in the university said.

Anitha, who was the warden of the girl's hostel on the Mangalagangothri campus, has also been relieved of her post. Shashirekha, warden of working women's hostel has been given additional charge of the hostel till further orders, officials added.

Vice-chancellor TC Shivashankara Murthy, who confirmed the disciplinary action taken against Anitha, said the Lokayukta sleuths have already sealed her official room in the department and the keys have been handed over to the chairman of the department.

Not willing to go into the merits of the case, the vice-chancellor however admitted that an individual's act had needlessly cast a slur on the fair name of the 32-year-old university.