Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
A group of academics and concerned citizens have strongly condemned the SRM Institute of Science and Technology’s (SRMIST) termination assistant professor Lora Santhakumar, calling the decision unjust, procedurally flawed, and an attack on academic freedom.
In a statement issued against her termination, the signatories said Lora, who worked at SRM University’s Career Development Centre (CDC) for close to a decade, was punished for expressing anti-war views on her WhatsApp status in a personal capacity. The statement said her suspension and subsequent dismissal stemmed from her opposition to the celebration of killings during a border skirmish, where she had highlighted that innocent civilians, including children, were the primary victims of war.
Lora was first suspended on May 8 after her WhatsApp status posts opposing war, posted in the backdrop of Operation Sindoor, were leaked along with her personal details to right-wing social media handles. This led to intense online harassment, threatening phone calls, and death threats, forcing her to leave her home in Chennai and return to her native Kallakurichi for safety.
Following her suspension, SRM University initiated an internal inquiry, which the statement describes as “torturous” and lacking basic procedural fairness. According to the signatories, the inquiry committee convened four times and subjected Lora to humiliating treatment, including forcing her to answer questions only with “yes or no” responses and denying her the right to be accompanied by a colleague. The statement also noted that the proceedings were not fully documented, despite Lora raising objections during the inquiry.
The termination notice, issued after the inquiry, has been criticised in the statement for being “replete with logical fallacies”. While the notice repeatedly acknowledged that Lora posted the WhatsApp status in her personal capacity, it nevertheless concluded that she had acted as a faculty member of SRMIST, claiming she failed to prove that she had not officially tagged the University in her posts. The academics pointed out that the burden of proof lay with the University and said the committee appeared to have drawn its conclusions even before examining the evidence.
SRM University’s internal inquiry had accused Lora of “grave misconduct”, alleging that her remarks were unethical, against national interests, and harmful to the reputation of the institution. Lora has consistently denied these charges, stating that her comments were anti-war, not anti-national, and were shared as temporary WhatsApp status posts from a personal number not linked to the University. She has also maintained that she never identified herself as an SRM faculty member in the posts.
The statement condemning the termination has been signed by several prominent academics and public intellectuals from leading institutions across India and abroad. Signatories include economists and social scientists such as Jayati Ghosh of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, sociologist Kalpana Kannabiran, political theorist Nivedita Menon, and historian Mary E John. It also carries the signatures of senior faculty from premier science and engineering institutions, including professors from the Indian Institutes of Technology in Bombay, Madras, and Kanpur, the Indian Institute of Science, the Indian Statistical Institute, and the Chennai Mathematical Institute. Former principals, retired professors, early-career researchers, journalists, lawyers, and students have also endorsed the statement.
Earlier, civil rights groups and academics from across the country had urged SRM University to revoke her suspension, arguing that expressing opposition to war and concern for civilian lives constituted a principled humanitarian position. They had also raised concerns about violations of the Tamil Nadu Payment of Subsistence Allowance Act, after Lora allegedly received less than 50% of her salary during suspension.
The latest statement said SRMIST had failed on multiple fronts, by not protecting its faculty from targeted harassment, conducting a biased inquiry, and undermining the principles of free expression and academic freedom. The signatories said the termination not only harmed Lora but also deprived students of an educator who demonstrated “a courageous defence of humanitarian values”.
The statement concluded by strongly condemning the termination and urging the University to uphold constitutional values and create an environment where faculty members are free to express diverse opinions without fear of reprisal.