Lora Shanthakumar, a Dalit Christian assistant professor at Chennai’s SRM University, has been dismissed after an internal inquiry “confirmed” that she committed ‘grave misconduct’ by expressing anti-war views during Operation Sindoor, The News Minute reported.
Lora, who worked at the university’s Career Development Centre (CDC), was first suspended on May 8 after students allegedly doxxed her, leaking her number, photo, and WhatsApp posts to right-wing social media handles. What followed was a wave of targeted online abuse, threatening phone calls, and death threats that forced her to leave Chennai and return to her hometown in Kallakurichi for safety.
The termination order accused her of posting “unethical remarks” against the armed forces and of identifying herself as an SRM faculty member online. “Therefore, she is unfit to continue her job in the institution and is dismissed from service with immediate effect,” the order stated.
The internal inquiry, led by Dr Nisha Ashokan, Director of Student Affairs, and conducted between July 15 and September 26 at SRM’s Kattankulathur campus, submitted its findings on October 30. Lora, a Dalit Christian, faced five charges.
The charge memo issued on June 16 alleged that she had made posts against India’s armed forces, acted “against national interest,” and disrupted the “cordial atmosphere” of the institution. She was further accused of participating in “antisocial” activities deemed “criminal” and amounting to major misconduct.
The inquiry specifically scrutinised the WhatsApp statuses Lora shared on May 7, in which she cautioned against war during heightened India–Pakistan tensions.
Importantly, her posts included quotes, fact-checks, warnings against propaganda, and criticism of civilian casualties. She had also flagged fake accounts impersonating Army officers. Of the 12 anti-war messages she posted that day, only two were widely circulated online.
Throughout the inquiry, Lora denied all allegations, asserting that her posts were neither anti-national nor directed against the armed forces. She stressed that her WhatsApp account was personal, used outside the university system, and did not identify her as an SRM assistant professor. She also emphasised that WhatsApp statuses are temporary and private, not equivalent to public social media posts.
Despite this, the inquiry committee claimed all five charges were “proven,” stating that because she admitted posting the statuses “in her personal capacity,” and because she could not “prove” she had not tagged SRMIST, the allegations stood. “Therefore it is deemed that the entire charge against her is proved,” the termination order concluded.
SRM University has given Lora 30 days to appeal to the vice-chancellor.
Speaking to TNM, Lora described the inquiry as “an eyewash,” alleging that the process was controlled by the university’s law officer Ravi, whose role she says is not reflected in the report. “They cannot show a single instance where I posted anything as an assistant professor. The screenshots in the charge memo have no timestamps, no source details. The accusations are false and illegal,” she said.
She noted that none of her complaints or criminal proceedings against those who targeted her online were included in the inquiry findings.
Meanwhile, according to reports Maraimalai Nagar police have summoned SRM registrar Dr S Ponnuswamy after Lora filed a petition with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Special Cell.
There have been several documented instances in India where academics, particularly those from marginalised communities or those expressing dissent on political, social, or anti-war issues, have faced suspension, dismissal, arrest or forced resignation over social media posts, public statements, protests, or writings that were labelled “anti-national” by authorities or targeted by right-wing groups.
Similarly, Ali Khan Mahmudabad, a faculty member at Ashoka University, Sonipat, was arrested in 2025 after posting anti-war comments on Instagram and Facebook during the India–Pakistan tension following the Pahalgam attack.
