“Read Quran, Follow Islam”: Symbiosis Professor’s Messages To Female Students Spark Row

A complaint against a professor at Symbiosis Law School’s Nagpur campus has prompted an internal inquiry after allegations emerged that he sent inappropriate messages to female students and urged them to follow Islam and read the Quran.

The professor has been placed on leave while a high-level university committee examines the allegations. The inquiry will also cover claims relating to his earlier tenure at Symbiosis Law School in Hyderabad. Police said no first information report (FIR) had been registered till Sunday.

The matter came to the university’s attention after a student’s family raised the complaint, which was subsequently taken up with the college administration and the police. The allegations also led to protests on campus and meetings between students and the administration.

How The Complaint Emerged

According to Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) members quoted by The Indian Express, a student’s father approached the organisation after his daughter showed him messages allegedly sent by the professor.

The VHP then raised the matter with the college administration and met the Nagpur Police Commissioner.

A university official said the administration had taken cognisance of the complaint and formed a committee to investigate the allegations and recommend further action.

“The concerned professor is now on leave and will not attend the campus until the inquiry is complete and its findings are available,” the official said.

The committee will also look into allegations concerning the professor’s conduct during his previous posting at the Hyderabad campus.

Police Facilitate Talks On Campus

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 5) Nityanand Jha said 15-17 people affiliated with various organisations assembled at the university at around 11.30 am on Saturday. Police facilitated a meeting between the group and the administration, following which the professor was placed on leave.

Later, another group of 15-20 people arrived at around 6.45 pm with the complainant and her father. At the time, the inquiry committee was holding an open-house discussion with around 100-120 students.

Police subsequently facilitated a meeting between the administration and a delegation of six or seven people, including the complainant. The committee assured the delegation that the allegations would be examined and action taken within a stipulated timeframe.

The administration and police later briefed students on the developments. Jha said the situation remained peaceful, with no law-and-order problem reported.