SAU: Over 500 Academicians Appeal to Foreign Ministers to Ensure Annulment of Teachers’ Suspension

New Delhi: Over 500 leading academicians including Irfan Habib, Prabhat Patnaik, Akeel Bilgrami, Gyan Prakash, and Audrey Truschke appealed to the foreign ministers of South Asian countries in a letter on Saturday to ensure that the suspension of four teachers from South Asian University (SAU) is annulled. 

The teachers were put under suspension after they appealed to resolve the deadlock between the administration and students over an increase in fellowship stipend. The teachers had also condemned the action of calling Delhi Police inside the campus in the national capital to disperse the striking students.

The faculty members were suspended by the university on June 16, 2023, for alleged ‘misconduct’, but the nature of the misconduct has not been spelt out in the suspension orders. They were, however, served show-cause notices on December 30, 2022, for writing emails to the university community questioning the “compassionless manner” in which the SAU administration dealt with the students who were protesting against a decrease in their monthly stipend last year and asking for fair representation in sexual harassment and gender sensitisation committees.

The letter stated that the censuring actions taken against the professors stand in conflict with the traditions of openness, dialogue and mutuality, which are the "hallmarks of the Indian education system".

It added that it is in conflict with the faculty's obligations to speak on students' behalf and ensure a safe and supportive learning environment that promotes the well-being and educational development of students. Teaching, conducting research, and contributing to the academic community are all integral parts of a faculty member's professional responsibilities, pointed out the academicians.

The letter read: “The suspension order violates the basic rights of faculty members to exercise their professional skills and fulfil their obligations, while at the same time, denying the students of valuable instruction and mentorship. Recognising and respecting the professional skills and contributions of faculty members is crucial for fostering a vibrant and productive academic community.”

“Ultimately, the goal of any academic institution is to create an environment that protects the welfare of students while upholding the principles of justice, fairness, and respect for the rights of faculty members. The arbitrariness and callous disregard with which the administrators have taken action against the professors violate the norms of accountability, transparency, integrity and sustainability of academic institutions. This will undermine a vibrant and productive academic community and can erode the trust and academic character of the university,” it added.

The suspension was earlier condemned by the teachers from Bangladesh too who argued that the suspended teachers were subjected to sheer insult and humiliation by asking to furnish replies to 132 to 246 questions in writing using pen and paper.

The teachers had stated, “Such humiliation and insult to faculty members in the name of fact-finding is unheard of in academia, and when the faculty members asked for a longer period of time as they felt they needed legal counsel to answer these questions, they were suspended with immediate effect on June 16, 2023, stating “allegations of misconduct”.”

They were asked to 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.

“This chain of events demonstrates the lack of transparency and accountability prevalent in a leading higher education institution in our corner of the world. Such despotic practices can only breed in an already non-democratic environment, and we, who have been observing recent political trends in South Asia and, in particular, India, find it no surprise that this has happened. It moves us, however, to denounce such practices. These actions show that these officials and administrators have no concern for academic practices or integrity, and neither research nor teaching is their priority,” stated the teachers.

Aheibam Prahalad, Public Relations Officer, South Asian University, told NewsClick that he is not aware that any "academicians [...] have written to [any] foreign minister to intervene in the matter of suspension of four teachers". He stated that the suspension followed allegations of misconduct and was "as per the terms of the SAARC Intergovernmental Agreement, Rules, Regulations and/or Bylaws, including Regulations on the Professional Code of Conduct and the Bylaws on Professional Code of Conduct for Faculty Members". 

He added that the SAU affirms all rights of all its faculty members, including their right to express their difference of opinion on principles in seminars and other places where students are present.