India: Jamia Millia Islamia Suspends Professor Over Controversial Exam Question

India: Jamia Millia Islamia Suspends Professor Over Controversial Exam Question
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Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) university has suspended a senior professor after an examination question regarding “atrocities against Muslim minorities” triggered a wave of public outrage and allegations of communal bias. According to reports from India News (NDTV) on December 24, the university administration has initiated a formal inquiry to investigate what they described as a serious lapse in academic responsibility and institutional discipline.

The controversy centers on a 15-mark question included in the first-semester BA (Hons) Social Work examination for a paper titled “Social Problems in India.” The prompt, set by Professor Virendra Balaji Shahare, asked students to “discuss the atrocities against Muslim minorities in India, giving suitable examples.” Images of the exam paper quickly circulated on social media, prompting sharp criticism from various observers who argued the wording was provocative and politically polarized.

In an official order signed by officiating registrar CA Sheikh Safiullah, the university placed Professor Shahare under suspension until an internal committee submits a full report. While the initial administrative order suggested that a police First Information Report (FIR) might be filed, university officials later clarified that the matter is currently being handled exclusively as an internal disciplinary issue. The inquiry committee is expected to examine the approval process for the exam content and whether the question violated established academic norms for a central university.

This comes as verbal abuse, discrimination and violence against Muslims has reached an all-time high in India under the Nationalist regime of Prime Minister Modi, pushed by the Hindutva agenda.