Indian university suspends professor over exam question on Muslim persecution

NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A leading public university in India has suspended a faculty member after he set an examination question asking students to discuss atrocities against Muslim minorities, triggering widespread concern over academic freedom and the shrinking space for critical inquiry under the country’s current political climate.

Jamia Millia Islamia said it had placed Professor Virendra Balaji Shahare of its Department of Social Work under immediate suspension after receiving complaints about an end-of-semester examination paper he authored for a first-year undergraduate course titled Social Problems in India.

The controversy centers on a question that asked students to “discuss the atrocities against Muslim minorities in India.” University authorities described the inclusion of the question as “negligence and carelessness” and ordered disciplinary action under institutional statutes. 

The suspension order also stated that a police complaint would be filed, though the university has not publicly clarified how the question violated academic or examination norms.

Although Jamia Millia Islamia is historically associated with Muslim intellectual life, it is a centrally funded public university under direct administrative oversight of India’s federal government. 

Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, scholars say universities across the country — including Jamia — have faced increasing political pressure through funding controls, leadership appointments, and disciplinary oversight. 

This has narrowed institutional autonomy, particularly on issues involving Muslim rights, state violence, and majoritarian politics, leading administrations to enforce internal discipline to avoid scrutiny from the Modi-led government.

The suspension will remain in force pending the outcome of an internal inquiry. During this period, the professor has been instructed not to leave New Delhi without prior permission from university authorities.

The decision has provoked strong reactions among students, teachers, and rights advocates, who argue that punishing a faculty member for raising a question directly aligned with course content reflects a broader pattern of self-censorship within public institutions. 

Many have pointed out that discussions of Muslim marginalization — despite being documented by domestic and international rights groups — are increasingly treated as politically sensitive or unacceptable within Indian classrooms.

Several faculty members at Jamia privately expressed concern that the action sends a chilling message to educators, indicating that even evidence-based academic discussion may invite disciplinary or legal consequences.

The professor’s social background has also drawn attention. Shahare belongs to a Dalit community, itself historically subjected to caste-based discrimination, prompting observers to note how caste, religion, and political conformity intersect in the current climate of institutional control.

Jamia, founded in 1920 and long associated with anti-colonial resistance and minority scholarship, has faced heightened scrutiny since 2019, when student protests against a controversial citizenship law were met with police violence on campus. 

Since then, analysts say, administrative decisions increasingly reflect fear of political reprisal rather than independent academic judgment.

Student organizations have demanded immediate revocation of the suspension, warning that penalizing teachers for addressing social realities undermines the very purpose of higher education. 

In a statement, one group said that if a university historically known for critical engagement cannot allow honest discussion of minority persecution, it raises urgent questions about the future of academic freedom in India.