‘Atrocities Against Muslims’: Jamia Professor Suspended After Exam Question Triggers Row

Last Updated:December 24, 2025, 07:42 IST

Professor Virendra Balaji Shahare was suspended after the Jamia Millia Islamia University received complaints over a question on ‘atrocities against Muslims’ in a semester exam.

The Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University has placed a senior professor under suspension after a question in an undergraduate semester examination referring to “atrocities against Muslims in India” triggered a massive row, leading to several complaints by students.

The controversy began when a question appeared in the BA (Hons) Social Work Semester I Examination 2025, in a paper titled “Social Problems in India,” asking, “Discuss the atrocities against Muslim Minorities in India giving suitable examples.”

Professor Virendra Balaji Shahare was identified as the one who created the exam paper. He was placed under suspension after the varsity received complaints and disciplinary action has been initiated against him. The university said it will ask the police to register an FIR in the matter.

This came after photos of the question paper surfaced online, triggering strong backlash from users who criticised the phrasing and alleged that it reflected political or communal bias. The issue gained further traction when Kanchan Gupta, senior adviser in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, flagged the question as showing “malicious intent”.

“Jamia Millia Islamia suspends Social Work Dept professor for extremely provocative and communally polarising question in Semester 1 question paper. Inquiry ordered. FIR being filed,” he said. “JMI is a Central University with a mixed student community. The question shows malicious intent.”

In an official order from the Office of the Registrar, Establishment Section (Training) on Tuesday, the JMI said complaints had been received regarding the content of the end-semester paper, reported The Indian Express.

“The Competent Authority, JMI, has taken a serious view on the negligence and carelessness on the part of Prof. Virendra Balaji Shahare, Department of Social Work. In this matter, on the instruction of the competent authority, the paper setter is placed under suspension till further orders and an FIR will be filed as per rules,” it said, highlighting lapses on Shahare’s part.

It further said that Shahare will not be allowed to leave his headquarters in New Delhi during the suspension period, pending an inquiry against him. The university has not yet officially disclosed details of the specific objections raised to the question paper.

Who Is Professor Shahare?

Shahare’s CV on the JMI website shows that he has over 22 years of teaching and research, with Rural and Urban Community Development, Dalit and Tribal Studies, Social Exclusion and Inclusion and Education and Social Development as his core interests. He is currently serving as Professor at the Department of Social Work, UGC Centre of Advanced Study in Jamia Millia Islamia.

He holds a Ph.D and M.Phil from the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and an M.A (Social Work) Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. He has previously taught at Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi University, and Nagpur University.

Shahare has served in multiple roles, including the PhD Coordinator in the Department of Social Work at Jamia. His research papers focus on social exclusion, violence against marginalised groups, migrant workers, Dalit women, and human rights.

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