New Delhi: Four professors of South Asian University (SAU) in Delhi have been suspended over allegations of misconduct. They have been accused of “running a Marxist study circle and inciting student protest on campus”, it is learnt.
The suspensions come months after the university — an initiative of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) grouping — was rocked by student protests seeking an increase in the monthly stipend for Master’s and PhD programmes, among other demands.
The four professors suspended are Snehashish Bhattacharya (Faculty of Economics), Srinivas Burra (Faculty of Legal Studies), Irfanullah Farooqi (Faculty of Social Sciences), and Ravi Kumar (Faculty of Social Sciences).
The suspension letter, dated 16 June, has been accessed by ThePrint. It cites “clauses 7.8 and 38” of the SAU regulations, which give the university president the power to suspend professors for misconduct.
The letter says a further investigation is underway, and directs the four “not to leave the station without permission, vacate their offices, return their office computers and identity cards, and register their attendance on all working days in the offices of their respective deans”.
ThePrint reached the suspended professors for comment, but all of them refused. One of them — refusing to be named — just said that they are seeking legal opinion.
In a written response to ThePrint, the university said the suspended professors had refused to cooperate with a fact-finding committee formed to look into the matter.
The university did not specify the intent behind setting up the committee, but added, “The allegations of misconduct as per the SAARC Intergovernmental Regulation and Bye Laws on the Faculty Code of Conduct are the reason for their suspension…”
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What happened at SAU
SAU was established in 2010 by the eight SAARC member nations — India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka — to promote regional cooperation in the field of education. It offers postgraduate and doctoral programmes.
In November 2022, classes were halted at the university on account of student protests over a host of issues.
In August last year, when the new academic session began, SAU reduced the monthly stipend for its Master’s programmes to Rs 4,000 from Rs 5,000. University officials told ThePrint last November that the stipend was reinstated after protests started in October, but students sought a further increase.
Another key demand was better representation of the social sciences departments in administrative positions and grievance redressal cells. The university, however, had denied a bias towards science departments and said “many non-science faculty members were offered certain administrative positions, but they didn’t come forward to take up the responsibility”.
On 4 November, the university brought in police to help disperse the protest. Two students were subsequently expelled and three placed under suspension.
Students then began an indefinite hunger strike. As some students began to get ill, the administration got in touch with the diplomatic missions of the SAARC countries.
The protest was eventually called off in December during the winter vacation.
Faculty writes to SAU in students’ defence
Speaking to ThePrint, SAU faculty members said on the condition of anonymity that they had “time and again” requested the university to initiate a dialogue and set up a committee to look into the student grievances.
Thirteen members of the faculty had protested the university’s decision to bring in police, in a letter to the administration.
“Given the international character of the university and possible negative ramifications of such action, this should be carefully avoided irrespective of contingent impulses,” they wrote,
In a second letter dated 5 November, 15 faculty members described the suspension of the students as arbitrary, and said the steps “were taken without following any due process”.
“They are in gross violation of proctorial rules as well as other SAU rules, regulations,and bye-laws, and are in contravention of principles of natural justice,” they wrote.
The four suspended professors were among the faculty members who wrote to the university administration.
According to faculty members, the four were sent a notice in December, alleging that they were involved in instigating the student protest and were funding “a Marxist study circle”.
“On 30 December 2022, five faculty members received notices from the university administration asking them to respond to several charges, including writing letters to the university community questioning certain administrative decisions in relation to the student protests, instigating students to protest, failure to perform appropriate duties and to follow university rules, regulations, and association with a Marxist study circle,” said one faculty member.
After they submitted their written responses, a fact-finding committee was set up in March to look into them, said the faculty members. Four of the five professors were then asked to visit the campus on 16 May to present themselves before the administration and give a further explanation.
A faculty member privy to the matter said the faculty had no knowledge about the setting up of the fact-finding committee.
The faculty member added, “The professors were called in and asked to give a written answer to about 200 questions within a day. Not only is it impractical but also unheard of in academia.
“These professors were humiliated just for simply showing concern for student welfare and reputation of the university.”
The university denied this, saying the “setting up of the committee was notified”. “The faculty was further informed about it, and before the faculty was requested to meet it,” it added.
The SAU also refuted allegations that the professors were given “200 questions to answer in writing”.
This report has been updated with the university’s response
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)
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