New Delhi: More than 300 academicians from universities worldwide have written to SAARC Secretary-General Golam Sarwar, urging his intervention in what they termed the “unjust and punitive dismissal” of Snehashish Bhattacharya, Associate Professor of Economics at the South Asian University (SAU) in New Delhi.

Bhattacharya was among four faculty members suspended in June 2023 for allegedly “inciting students against the university's interest” during stipend protests the previous year. His services were terminated on September 11, 2024, with retrospective effect from June 2023.

In their letter, the academicians said students had peacefully protested for representation in gender sensitisation and anti-sexual harassment bodies and against the reduction of stipends, but the university responded with expulsions, suspensions, and police action.

They said faculty members, including Bhattacharya, had urged dialogue and constructive engagement, but the administration targeted them instead, suspending them and cutting their pay to 25 per cent. Bhattacharya, they noted, had denied all charges and refused to issue a letter of regret demanded by the university.

The signatories urged SAU to rescind Bhattacharya's termination, calling it vital to protect academic freedom and uphold the university's founding ideals of collegiality, dialogue, and intellectual independence.

Among the signatories are Ha-Joon Chang (SOAS University of London), Jayati Ghosh (University of Massachusetts Amherst), Amit Bhaduri, Prabhat Patnaik, Partha Chatterjee, Rathin Roy, and Guy Standing.

They also rejected SAU's claim of being beyond Indian judicial jurisdiction, calling it an argument that undermines rule of law and accountability.

“This is not merely about one individual,” the letter said, “but a test of whether SAU can still stand by its founding principles of openness, dialogue, and mutual respect.”