NEW DELHI: A professor at Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) has been suspended after a question set by him in a semester examination sparked widespread controversy on social media. The university has also constituted an inquiry committee to examine the matter, officials said.
The row revolves around a 15-mark question in the BA (Hons) Social Work first-semester examination, conducted earlier this week for the paper Social Problems in India. The question asked students to “discuss the atrocities against Muslim minorities in India, giving suitable examples.”
The paper was set by Prof Virendra Balaji Shahare. Following complaints and online backlash, the university said it took a “serious view” of what it termed negligence and carelessness on the part of the faculty member.
“An inquiry committee has been formed to examine the issue. Until the committee submits its report, the concerned professor has been placed under suspension,” a university official said, adding that the action was taken to uphold academic responsibility and institutional discipline.
An order signed by officiating registrar CA Sheikh Safiullah, which was widely circulated on social media, confirmed that Prof Shahare would remain suspended “till further orders.”
The order also stated that his headquarters during the suspension period would be New Delhi and that he would not leave without prior permission from the competent authority.
The order further mentioned that a police FIR would be filed “as per rules.” However, university officials later clarified that there was no current proposal to register any police case against the professor and that the matter would be examined internally by the committee.
Images of the question paper began circulating online on Tuesday evening drawing sharp reactions from several users who questioned its appropriateness and alleged political or communal bias. The issue gained further traction after Kanchan Gupta, senior adviser to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, shared the suspension notice on X.