South Asian University (SAU) on Thursday terminated associate professor of economics Snehashish Bhattacharya, alleging him of “inciting students against the interests of the university” during the 2022–23 stipend protests, sparking criticism from many who called the move “arbitrary.”
Bhattacharya is one of four faculty members who opposed the police entering the campus and the expulsion of students without due process during protests in October 2022, demanding representation in forums addressing sexual harassment and an increase in the monthly stipend for Master’s and PhD programmes, among other demands.
The university’s order stated that its Executive Council had taken the decision based on the findings of a disciplinary committee. Bhattacharya was issued a show-cause notice last month, and his response was deemed “unsatisfactory,” the order added.
Similarly, in December 2023, the university declined to renew the contract of faculty member Irfanullah Farooqi, ending his association with the institution.
Bhattacharya, Farooqi, and two other faculty members had been suspended in June 2023 on charges of making “unfounded allegations” against the university and endorsing the students’ protest.
Over 500 eminent academics from universities worldwide had appealed to the foreign ministers of the SAARC nations, urging intervention to secure the revocation of the suspensions.
Development & political economist Surbhi Kesar alleged the termination is “without any due process.”
“The admin is taking advantage of immunity from the judicial system to suppress freedom of speech & expression. Embarrassing that other faculty members are too scared to even condemn this,” she said.
Tathagat Singh, one of the students of the professor, called the move “profoundly authoritarian and utterly unjust.”
He said that among several faculty members who had acted similarly, Prof. Bhattacharya was “deliberately singled out and hounded,” whereas others who were suspended were “comfortably reinstated after agreeing to a written statement of regret, which Prof. Bhattacharya refused, given that there was absolutely no evidence against him for the charges.”
Stating that the termination is an “assault on the idea of the University itself,” he said, “ It is the price that anyone in this country will have to pay if they even wish to have an iota of care and compassion for their students.”
Earlier on September 4, the undersigned alumni of South Asian University (SAU) and former students of Dr. Snehashish Bhattacharya wrote to the President and Chairperson of the Executive Council in their personal capacity, expressing deep concern and earnestly requesting reconsideration of the recent show-cause notice served to Dr. Bhattacharya, which contemplates the possible termination of his service at SAU.
The alumni stated that Dr. Bhattacharya has played a foundational role in building the Faculty of Economics at SAU and has been a key pillar of the faculty for well over a decade, from designing the curriculum and organizing international conferences to mentoring students across cohorts, his contributions have been pivotal to the faculty’s growth and academic credibility.
“He is the least likely person at SAU to ever incite students or anyone else against the interests of the University, or to act in any way contrary to its statutes,” they said.
The alumni further noted that no evidence has been presented to support the charges against him. The students he was accused of inciting have not provided any statements in support of the allegations, nor were any other witnesses produced.
They also pointed out potential bias in the composition of the Disciplinary Committee, which included the Proctor, even though most charges relate to certain proctorial decisions that Dr. Bhattacharya, alongside several faculty members, had questioned for their lack of due process, a point later strongly criticized by the Delhi High Court.
