Protests erupted on the campus of Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) today, November 11 by student organisations and teachers’ groups, against the dismissal of two well-regarded academics from their teaching positions.
These academics, prominent historian Prof Salil Misra and Prof Asmita Kabra from the School of Human Ecology at the university, were terminated by AUD’s Board of Management (BOM) last Friday, November 9.
Professors Misra and Kabra, who formerly served as Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Registrar of AUD, stand accused of “irregularities” in the regularisation of 38 contractual workers between 2018 and 2019. This termination followed a departmental inquiry into the matter by a committee constituted by the BOM.
“After careful consideration of the inquiry report, written representations, and vigilance division inputs, the board of management resolved to remove Professors Salil Misra and Asmita Kabra from service, effective immediately,” the management said in a statement notifying the academics’ termination, according to Times of India.
Student groups, such as the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the All India Students’ Association (AISA), and faculty organisations, like the Ambedkar University Delhi Faculty Association (AUDFA), condemned this development, alleging that the two academics are being unfairly targeted.
Countless instances of mistreating teachers?
In its statement condemning the termination, AISA alleges that teaching and non-teaching alike have been subject to such “punishment” for expressing progressive views and raising voices against caste and gender-based violence or harassment.
“From students, to workers, to staff, to professors nobody is safe from the destructive agenda of the administration. This is not just the reality of AUD but is a model we see replicated across the universities of our nation,” AISA says in its statement, announcing today’s protest.
In addition, the AUDFA, in a statement released today, November 11 alleged that the termination of the two professors was not an “isolated case” of AUD’s “anti employee stance”, and is a continuation of “many such punitive measures to create an atmosphere of unrest severely damaging the mental well-being of all stakeholders.”
“The speakers addressing the gathering made it clear that the current administration has since its inception been busy targeting individual faculty members which has led to scores of litigations between the University and its employees,” AUDFA says, regarding today’s protest gathering.
Further, the teachers called upon the Delhi Government for being a “mute spectator to the dismantling of AUD despite repeated petitions submitted to its various ministers on several occasions.
Addressing the current situation at the varsity, the AUDFA says, “The rankings have deteriorated and now the University is not even in the first 500 NIRF rankings which was once 94,” and that a university once seen as a promising institute for social sciences and renowned for its “progressive pedagogy” is “now in doldrums.”
Further, the AUDFA calls for a “non-cooperation with the university administration” tomorrow, November 12.
Regularisation on behest of management, allege teachers
Talking about the allegations, the AUDFA in an earlier statement issued on November 9 said that the decision to regularise the 38 faculty members in 2018 was approved by the BOM, which was the highest statutory body in AUD, and Profs Misra and Kabra were only acting in good faith and within their capacity of the Pro-VC and Registrar of the university at that time.
They say that the step was taken following legal advice and with the approval of all higher bodies, and the final letters were issued to the contractual workers only after the Director of Higher Education was appraised of all facts.
However, the AUDFA says that following the appointment of Prof Anu Singh Lather as the varsity’s VC in 2019, the BOM overturned the decision, and formed a committee to assess its validity in 2021.
While the committee disagreed with the legal basis of the decision, it saw no scope of “initiating any disciplinary action/proceeding against the officials responsible for the decision making,” wrote AUDFA in its statement. However, the association alleges that the BOM disregarded the committee’s findings and set up a new inquiry committee in December 2022, without providing any reasons for the rejection of the initial report.
In 2023, another committee was appointed by AUD to examine the charges against the two professors. AUDFA wrote that this committee’s report, which was submitted in February 2024, seemed “predisposed to classify the actions of both colleagues as major misconduct without establishing the requisite mala fide intent.”
Eventually, the report was placed before the BOM on October 5, 2024, and November 5, 2024, and Profs Misra and Kabra received termination orders on November 6, 2024.
Attack on dignity of teachers
Calling this termination a “totally unjustified and clearly vindictive action is the result of a biased inquiry at the behest of the current AUD management,” the AUDFA demands that the administration of the varsity take back this order.
Pointing at Prof Misra’s retirement in nine months, the association says that despite the management’s agreement or disagreement with the findings, removing him from service for acts taken in good faith is disproportionate, as he would have to forfeit his retirement benefits.
The AUDFA reiterated that both professors were only acting at the behest of the BOM, and were only implementing an approved policy in the university.
“Both (Prof Misra and Prof Kabra) are remarkable scholars, academicians and professionals of impeccable integrity and dignity in their own right. We stand with our colleagues who are facing this grievous injustice. We see this as a strong infringement of all our rights as workers in the university system,” the statement reads.
