Mounting Protests Over Jamia Milia Professor’s Strange Suspension For Preparing Semester Exam Question

Jamia Millia Islamia’s (JMI) strange and mind-boggling suspension of Professor Virendra Balaji Sahare of the Department of Social Work, following a semester examination question, has triggered a political storm, evoking widespread protests by student groups. The university’s action has also drawn sharp reactions from political organisations. These developments are rapidly engulfing the campus and spilling over into social media and the wider public sphere. The protests have highlighted the growing threats and challenges to academic freedom in the country, particularly from Sangh Parivar–driven organisations and their diktats.

At the centre of the controversy is a question in the BA (Hons) Social Work first-semester paper, Social Problems in India, which asked students to “discuss the atrocities against Muslim minorities in India, giving suitable examples.” The administration has cited this question as objectionable while marshalling arguments for the suspension. The question reads in full: “Discuss the atrocities against Muslim minorities in India, giving suitable examples.”

This question is explicitly located within the prescribed syllabus under Unit II, Social Problems and Social Work Intervention, sub-topic (c): Atrocities against women, children, SC/STs, and minorities. The question therefore constitutes a legitimate, syllabus-based academic assessment and does not deviate from approved curricular content.

Despite this, the university, through an order bearing File No. 3422/VBS/JMI/RO/E-T/2024 dated 23.12.2025, suspended Professor Sahare with immediate effect and additionally filed a police FIR against him.

Interestingly, a Sangh Parivar campaign had started on social media within hours of the examination being written earlier this week. Screenshots of the question paper began circulating online, prompting manufactured outrage and demands for action against those who set the paper. By Monday evening, student organisations aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other Sangh Parivar outfits staged protests, accusing the university of “institutional bias” and “indoctrination under the guise of academics.” Slogans were raised outside campus gates, and delegations submitted memoranda demanding immediate disciplinary action against the paper-setter and a review of what they described as “politicised syllabi.”

Political parties soon followed suit. Leaders from the BJP and it’s affiliates accused the university of misusing public funds and “pushing a one-sided narrative” . Large sections of the students as well as student organisations linked to opposition politics have countered this accusation by pointing out that the suspension amounted to intimidation of faculty and a direct assault on academic freedom. Left-leaning student unions announced solidarity demonstrations, warning that the JMI administration’s action would create a chilling effect on teaching and research.

A senior university official stated that an inquiry committee had been constituted and that the institution had taken a “serious view” of the matter. An official order that circulated online went further, mentioning the filing of a police FIR and imposing restrictions on the professor’s movement during the suspension period.

The administration later sought to soften this claim, stating that there was “no intention to file any FIR” against the professor, even as protests and counter-protests continued to intensify.

On social media, the controversy was amplified by political commentators and campaigners for political parties,with posts accusing the university of communal bias on the one hand and warning against the criminalisation of academic discourse on the other. The debate quickly hardened into familiar ideological trenches, mirroring the polarisation on the streets and on campus.

As the inquiry proceeds, student bodies and have announced further demonstrations, ensuring that the controversy remains less about a single examination question and more about the widening battle over universities, dissent, and the limits of academic inquiry in today’s India.

Students of Jamia Millia Islamia have expressed firm solidarity with Professor Sahare, viewing his case as part of a broader struggle against anti-democratic and anti-Muslim forces operating within institutional structures.A separate statement condemning the suspension by a collective of students organisations argues that initiating criminal proceedings over a syllabus-mandated examination question represents an assault on academic autonomy and risks creating a climate of fear within universities. It points out that the action constitutes an unprecedented and disproportionate response to a purely academic exercise conducted strictly within the framework of the syllabus.

Framing the issue as central to the defence of academic freedom, democratic dialogue, and constitutional values, the statement demands the immediate revocation of the suspension and the withdrawal of all punitive actions. The declaration is jointly endorsed by AISA, AIDSO, AIMSU, SFI, AIRSO, DISSC, MSF, the Fraternity Movement, and SIO.

The statement issued by various political parties are shared below: