Follow TNM’s WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
The Tamil Nadu State Commission for Women (TNSCW) has recommended that the University Grants Commission (UGC) direct Chennai’s SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST) to reinstate assistant professor Lora Santhakumar, who was terminated after expressing anti-war views through her WhatsApp status in the backdrop of Operation Sindoor.
In a recommendation order issued on May 22, AS Kumari, chairperson of TNSCW, asked SRMIST to reinstate Lora with back wages and continuity of service within four weeks, and further recommended that the UGC take appropriate action against the university if it fails to comply.
“A renowned university in Tamil Nadu is taking action against a woman assistant professor for her personal opinion in a WhatsApp status shared internally within her friends, which is the crux of this issue,” the order stated.
Lora had approached the commission after she was suspended and later dismissed from her position at SRM University’s Career Development Centre. She had worked at the institution for 13 years and was also pursuing research at the university.
According to the commission, Lora had shared anti-war views through her personal WhatsApp status following the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack and India’s Operation Sindoor the next month.
TNSCW noted that portions of her WhatsApp status were “selectively circulated” on social media by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT wing functionary Bal Mukund Jha, portraying her remarks as against national security.
SRM University suspended her soon after, citing the social media controversy, and later terminated her services in December 2025 after an internal inquiry.
SRM Group of Institutions is owned by TR Paarivendhar, founder of the Indiya Jananayaka Katchi, a political party that allied with the BJP during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Paarivendhar contested from the Perambalur Lok Sabha constituency as a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate.
The commission observed that Lora had filed a police complaint against Jha, following which an FIR was registered in February 2026.
The commission said it had examined the WhatsApp status messages and said one of the posts listed the consequences of war, including economic disruption, inflation, and loss of lives. Another criticised the killing of children during military strikes and questioned the glorification of civilian deaths.
TNSCW found that the posts were shared through a personal WhatsApp status visible only to the complainant’s contacts and that she had not identified herself as a SRM faculty member in those messages.
It further observed that the screenshots of the status messages were published on social media by right-wing accounts that tagged SRM University, resulting in disciplinary action against Lora.
The commission said the university had failed to consider the circumstances under which the posts became public and concluded that the inquiry could not be considered unbiased.
The order also noted that the university registrar had appeared before the commission in December 2025 and assured it that the concerns raised would be looked into. However, according to the commission, no action was taken despite the communication from the body.
The commission also described the university’s action against Lora as “a form of gender discrimination” and said it threatened all the women of the state not to share any opinion in public.
TNSCW called upon the UGC, as the regulatory authority overseeing universities, to ensure compliance with its recommendation and take action if SRMIST fails to reinstate Lora.