A private university near Chennai suspended an assistant professor today, Thursday, May 8, for criticising India's action against Pakistan's terror network and expressing concern about civilian losses in the neighbouring country in a social media post.

Prof S Lora, Director of the Career Centre at SRM Institute of Science and Technology, shared the comments on WhatsApp as her status.

“India killed a child in Pakistan and wounded two people in the early Wednesday strikes… It is a cowardice act,” she stated in one of her status updates, while another warned of impending economic and social disasters in India.

She further referred to the strikes as a manifestation of "bloodlust" and stated that such activities as part of "your election stunts" are neither heroic nor just, Deccan Herald reports.

Her widely shared social media posts sparked a massive backlash, with multiple accounts ridiculing her and uploading her profile extracted from the university website online.

Under pressure, the institution published a statement this afternoon announcing Lora's suspension for "unethical activities."

Several social media users argued that suspension was insufficient and urged that the assistant professor be fired.

“We should also make sure Ms Lora isn’t appointed by any other institution. In case any institution appoints her, they should be hounded & shamed in public for their anti-India mindset,” SG Suryah, Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) state secretary, Tamil Nadu, said.