An Uttar Pradesh government-run university has imposed a lifetime ban on Professor Seema Panwar, Head of the Political Science department at Meerut College, barring her from all examination and evaluation duties, reported PTI, on Saturday, April 5.
The decision by Chaudhary Charan Singh University (CCSU) officials on Friday, April 4, 2025, follows allegations that she set a controversial question paper linking the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to divisive politics.
ABVP protests spark swift action
The controversy erupted after the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the RSS, staged a protest on the CCSU campus on Friday. The demonstration, accompanied by a memorandum submitted to the registrar, was in response to a second-semester Political Science exam held on April 2.
The question paper, prepared by Panwar, reportedly included a query tying the RSS to the rise of religious and caste-based politics, alongside another listing it with groups like the Naxalites and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front. Hours after the protest, CCSU issued a lifetime ban.
Professor issues apology
Following an internal investigation, CCSU Registrar Dhirendra Kumar Verma confirmed Panwar as the paper setter. “She has been debarred from all examinations and evaluation work in the university for life,” Verma told PTI.
Panwar, in a written apology to the university, insisted she had no intention of causing offense. “She has apologised in writing that she did not do this intentionally to hurt anyone,” Verma added.
The rapid escalation, from exam day to lifetime ban within three days, has raised questions about academic freedom and the pressures on educators in politically charged environments.
