Chennai: The SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST), in the outskirts of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, suspended an assistant professor and launched an internal inquiry Thursday after she allegedly posted a WhatsApp status criticising Operation Sindoor.
A suspension order, widely shared on social media, with the letterhead of the registrar S. Ponnusamy, said that the assistant professor was “involved in unethical activities” and was placed on immediate suspension, pending an inquiry. However, the order did not specify the “unethical activities”.
A faculty member from the Institute confirmed the development to ThePrint, adding that, further action will be taken based on the findings of the internal inquiry.
The alleged WhatsApp status drew the ire of many. A functionary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had shared screenshots on ‘X’ and tagged the university.
“Ever since the Operation Sindoor strike, she’s been posting stories against the Army. Do you Endorse this @SRM_Univ??,” he said in the post Wednesday, along with the assistant professor’s profile from the university’s website.
On Thursday, BJP state secretary S.G. Suryah lauded the institute for taking action against the assistant professor. In a post on ‘X’, Suryah asked everyone to make sure that the assistant professor is not appointed by any other institution.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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