CHENNAI: The SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST) on Thursday suspended a woman assistant professor after an online status update allegedly put up by her sparked outrage on social media, especially from members of the Tamil Nadu BJP and its supporters.
The order signed by SRMIST registrar S Ponnusamy said that the assistant professor working at its Kattankulathur campus has been suspended with immediate effect, pending enquiry, for her involvement in “unethical activities”. It did not explicitly cite her status messages or consequent criticisms as part of the reason for the suspension.
The faculty member had reportedly posted status messages criticising Operation Sindoor undertaken by the Indian Army targeting terrorist elements in Pakistan controlled territories, alleging that it caused deaths of innocents as well.
Screenshots purportedly showing her status messages were widely shared on social media. One of them read “India killed a CHILD in Pakistan and wounded two people in the early Wednesday strikes. Killing innocent lives for your own bloodlust and for your election stunts is not BRAVERY and it’s not JUSTICE. It’s a cowardice act!”.
This evoked sharp criticism from a section of students and teachers in SRMIST and later went viral on social media as well. She was accused of spreading misinformation against India.
BJP State Secretary SG Suryah welcomed SRMIST’s decision and said it should be ensured that no other institution recruits her. “In case any institution appoints her, they should be hounded and shamed in public for their anti-India mindset,” he said, in a post on social media platform X.