The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has summoned the Acting Vice-President of the South Asian University (SAU) in relation to the death of a student last year.
Ammar Ahmad, a student of MA Sociology at SAU, suffered from cardiac arrest while he was taking part in the hunger strike on campus along with other students, to demand an increase in masters' and PhD scholarships.
Following the unfortunate incident, Ahmad's fellow student alleged that he was suffering from institutional harassment by the SAU administration. In November 2022, the student body approached the NHRC requesting urgent intervention in the matter to prevent any more incidents of mental harassment.
The university was asked to submit a report before the commission. However, after not receiving any reply from the university despite reminders, the commission has asked the acting VP to appear in person before the commission on August 25, 2023 along with the requisite report.
The summon notice said that if the said report is submitted to the commission before August 25, their personal appearance will be dispensed with.
SAU student protests
In October 2023, the students of SAU started a month-long protest demanding a hike in masters' and PhD scholarships. As the protests escalated, five students were allegedly expelled for 'misconduct.'
On June 16, four faculty members, namely, Snehashish Bhattacharya, Srinivas Burra, Irfanullah Farooqi and Ravi Kumar were also suspended.
While the faculty members say that the university has cited 'instigation' as a reason behind the protests, the university has said that it was due to allegations of misconduct.
Edex Live has reached out to the South Asian University for an official comment on the matter. The copy will be updated once we receive a response.
