‘Respect democratic governance’: Teachers seek SAARC intervention on SAU suspensions

NEW DELHI: The All India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisations has condemned the suspension for four teachers at South Asian University, allegedly for opposing the university’s decision to call the police to break up a student protest in October 2022.

It has also sought the “urgent intervention” of the secretary, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and India’s ministry of external affairs and direction to SAU To reinstate professors suspended from June 16. The SAU was established by the members of the SAARC in 2010.

“AIFUCTO strongly condemns the action of authority of South Asian University as undemocratic and detrimental to the academic freedom of [the] university, community,” AIFUCTO, an umbrella organisation of teachers’ associations, said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

As reported by Careers360 earlier, the four SAU professors were part of a group of 15 who wrote to the South Asian University administration objecting to its calling in the police to stop a student protest on campus. Students had launched a protest in September against the university’s decision to reduce stipends. By October, it had led to a hunger strike.

SAU enquiry a ‘camouflage’

In May, the four teachers were asked to appear before a new fact-finding committee where, they told Careers360, they were asked “prejudiced” and “accusatory” questions.

“The enquiry conducted by the fact finding committee was motivated and a mere camouflage [for] the hidden undemocratic agenda of governance to stifle all vestiges of democratic voice for asking for rules and regulations to protect the academic interests of the university community,” says AIFUCTO’s statement.

The AIFUCTO statement further notes that the teachers have received “humiliating treatment” – they have been asked to not leave the station, vacate their offices, return identity cards but at the same time register attendance at their deans’ offices daily.