A forum of teachers at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) on Thursday demanded the varsity authorities to immediately and unconditionally revoke the suspension of two faculty members, who are on a relay hunger strike for last two days
The two faculty members, Associate Professor K Y Ratnam and Assistant Professor Tathagat Sengupta, had on Tuesday launched the indefinite relay hunger strike outside the university protesting their suspension by the varsity on the ground that they had been detained (arrested) by police for more than 48 hours in March this year.
Ratnam, Head of Centre for Ambedkar Studies and faculty member of Department of Political Science and Sengupta, faculty member of Department of Mathematics, were on Monday served with suspension notice for allegedly not informing the university about their detention by police for more than 48 hours on March 22.
The SC/ST Faculty Forum and Concerned Teachers on Thursday demanded the university to withdraw all the cases filed against the faculty and students to restore a semblance of normalcy on the campus so that the institutional interests may not suffer.
"We, the SC/ST Faculty Forum and Concerned Teachers at the University of Hyderabad and the teaching fraternity are shocked at the order suspending two of our colleagues Ratnam and Sengupta," the Forum said in a release.
"This act of suspension does not only further the conflict on campus but seems detrimental to the interests of the University community. We condemn this act of suspension that is beyond the imagination or rules of this democratic institution," it said.
"What Professors Ratnam and Sengupta did on March 22 was primarily to appeal to the police to not brutalise students...for the University to suspend professors for an act that was actually the responsibility of the University itself (protecting students) is outrageous," the Forum said.
While it is true that any employee who is in custody for more than 48 hours is deemed to be suspended, the rules for suspension say this should be used sparingly, it said.
The UoH authorities had said on Wednesday Ratnam and Sengupta were suspended from the services strictly in accordance with Rule 10 of the Central Civil Services Rules.