Academics, Citizens Condemn Termination of SRM Institute of Science and Technology Faculty Santhakumar

New Delhi: A group of academics and concerned citizens has issued a statement condemning the termination of Lora Santhakumar, an assistant professor at the SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST) in Chennai, describing the action as a failure of the institute's administration to "protect their faculty against baseless accusations and uphold academic freedoms".

The statement notes that Santhakumar was a faculty member at SRMIST for close to a decade before she was suspended on May 8. The suspension followed a WhatsApp status she posted in her "personal capacity", expressing opposition to the celebration of killings during a border skirmish and noting that the victims of such violence are often innocent and vulnerable people, including children, the signatories mention.

"This position is shared by a number of academics and members of the public, and her suspension was surprising enough to invite condemnation from civil rights groups and the media," the statement says.

According to the statement, an enquiry committee convened four times after her suspension. During these proceedings, Santhakumar was allegedly subjected to “disrespectful and humiliating” treatment and was allegedly compelled to answer questions only with “yes” or “no” responses and was denied the presence of a colleague for support.

"Santhakumar raised these issues with the Enquiry Officer at SRMIST, even alerting them to the fact that the entire proceeding was not documented, but to no avail. It appears that the committee had no real interest in pursuing a sincere investigation and had drawn their conclusions prior to the commencement of the enquiry. This use of institutional procedures as a tool to harass and demean colleagues for holding views contrary to a section of public opinion is not a new strategy; we are deeply disappointed to see SRMIST stoop to such tactics," the statement notes.

Further, the statement underlines that Santhakumar’s employment was terminated on December 5, following what it describes as a “torturous series of enquiries”. The termination document, according to the signatories, is "replete with logical fallacies". "For example, the central charge against Prof. Santhakumar is that her WhatsApp status was made in her capacity as a member of the faculty at SRMIST. Repeatedly, the termination notice says “this charge is proved of her posting in social media in her personal capacity,” which would seem to settle the matter. This sentence, however, is followed by the line: “It is not proved by the delinquent employee that she has not officially tagged SRMIST in her capacity as assistant professor. Therefore it is deemed that the entire charge against her is proved.” It seems that the committee could not even be bothered to read the posts and check whether SRMIST was tagged."

The academics and citizens issuing the statement argue that the SRMIST administration failed to protect academic freedom, conduct a fair enquiry, and uphold basic principles of jurisprudence. They also state that the termination deprives students of an educator committed to humanitarian values.

The statement has been signed by more than 160 individuals, including faculty members, researchers, students, independent scholars, activists and journalists from institutions in India and abroad such as Chennai Mathematical Institute professor Alok Laddha, Delhi University faculty Madhusudhan Raman, scientist Ravinder Banyal, independent researcher Aswathy Raveendran, University of Massachusetts Amherst professor Jayati Ghosh and Ashoka University associate professor Chitralekha, among others.

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