Four professors of Delhi’s South Asian University (SAU) have been suspended over allegations of misconduct. They have been accused of “inciting students against… the interest of the University” in violation of the university’s code of conduct.
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.
The faculty members who have been suspended are Dr Snehashish Bhattacharya from the Faculty of Economics, Dr Srinivas Burra from the Faculty of Legal Studies, Dr Irfanullah Farooqi from the Faculty of Social Sciences, and Dr Ravi Kumar from the 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 teachers “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”.
One of the suspended faculty members, who did not wish to be named, told The Indian Express, “This looks like a targeted action against four people in the university who were simply trying to tell the administration to resolve the issues amicably.”
“The university has accused the faculty members of instigating students to protest; failure to perform appropriate duties and; association with a Marxist study circle,” said another faculty member, who has been suspended.
In September 2022, the students started a protest after the university administration revised the stipend for master’s students from Rs 5,000 to 3,000. They demanded that instead of being reduced, the stipends should be increased to Rs 7,000. Although the university first revised the stipend amount to Rs 4,000 and then back to Rs 5,000, the students’ protest continued. The university, however, refused to meet the Rs 7,000 stipend demand.
In November, the university issued orders announcing expulsion, rustication or suspension of five students, after which 15 faculty members wrote an email to the university community, expressing concerns regarding the actions of the university administration, which “were taken without following any due process”.
The university constituted a fact-finding committee in May this year to inquire into the involvement of faculty members in the protest.
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