Dalit professor suspended over exam question on anti-Muslim atrocities in India
Jamia Millia Islamia students express solidarity with Professor Virendra Shahare
DELHI: Students of the New Delhi-based Jamia Millia Islamia have expressed strong solidarity with Dalit Professor Virendra Balaji Shahare, who was suspended by the university administration after including a question in his exam asking students to “discuss the atrocities against Muslim minorities in India”.
In a statement, the Department of Social Work students condemned the suspension, calling it an “erosion of academic freedom and intellectual autonomy, and an impermissible narrowing of scholarly discourse.”
They asserted that the professor had committed “no wrongdoing” and maintained that the question cited as the basis for complaints was fully aligned with the prescribed syllabus. “Penalising an academic for facilitating critical engagement undermines the very foundation of social science education,” they said.
The statement further criticised the university’s use of Statute 37(1) to suspend the professor, calling it “arbitrary, excessive, and legally untenable.” They maintained that setting an examination question approved through institutional mechanisms does not amount to misconduct, negligence, or “unbecoming conduct” under the statute.
Highlighting that examination papers undergo multiple levels of moderation and approval, the students questioned why only Prof. Shahare had been singled out. The students also raised concerns about caste-based discrimination, noting that Prof. Shahare is a Dalit academic, stating, “The suspension reflects a disturbing pattern where individuals from marginalised communities bear the brunt of punitive action, while systemic accountability is evaded,” they said.
The students demanded immediate and permanent revocation of Prof. Shahare’s suspension, the withdrawal of any legal action against him, and a public apology from the university. They also called for guarantees against scapegoating of faculty from marginalised communities. “We stand with our professor. We reject this injustice. And we will continue to speak until it is corrected,” they asserted.
Similarly, students of the Department of Political Science at Jamia Millia Islamia condemned the suspension, warning that such action affects not only the faculty member concerned but also the academic environment and students’ right to a free and critical learning space.
Earlier, several student organisations, including AIDSO, AIMSU, AIRSO, AISA, DISSC, MSF, the Fraternity Movement, SFI, and SIO, in a joint statement condemned the suspension, stating that the examination question asking students to “discuss the atrocities against Muslim minorities in India” was clearly syllabus-based and academically legitimate. Monitoring Desk
