Professor Abdul Kafi of the Bengali department was having tea near the university main gate on Friday afternoon, when a former student, identified as Rajesh Santra, hit him repeatedly.
'The Commission...strongly condemns the impugned statements made by him during election campaign held at Barsoi and Barari of Katihar District,' the order rapping Sidhu reads.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) Udit Raj, on the other hand, had stated that caste is being directly addressed because it influences election and voting patterns.
One of the defendants said the group consists mostly of Christian Pakistanis and some Ahmadi Muslims, and that members of the two religious groups risk persecution in Pakistan.