Meerut: A political science professor at a government-run university in Uttar Pradesh has been handed a lifetime ban from all examination and evaluation work after setting an exam paper containing what authorities deemed a “controversial” question related to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Professor Seema Panwar, head of the Political Science department at Meerut College, was identified as the paper setter for a second-semester exam held on April 2 under Chaudhary Charan Singh University. The paper reportedly included a question that linked the RSS to the rise of religious and caste-based politics and listed the organisation alongside groups such as the Naxalites and the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front.
The matter sparked immediate backlash, with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the RSS, staging protests on the campus and submitting a memorandum demanding action.
Following an internal inquiry, the university administration took swift action. Registrar Dhirendra Kumar Verma confirmed the disciplinary move. “She has been debarred from all examination and evaluation work in the university for life,” he told PTI.
Professor Panwar, in her defense, issued a written apology stating that there was no intention to hurt anyone’s sentiments. “She has apologised in writing that she did not do this intentionally,” added Verma.
The controversy has reignited debates over academic freedom and political interference in higher education institutions, with student politics once again taking center stage in university affairs.
