New Delhi, Sept. 16 -- Four days after South Asian University (SAU) terminated the services of associate professor Snehashish Bhattacharya, nearly two years after his suspension, the university's alumni on Monday wrote to the administration urging withdrawal of the order and his reinstatement.

In a letter signed by 101 former students, alumni expressed "utter shock and deep dismay" at what they called the "unjust and unwarranted" dismissal on "flimsy grounds." They described the decision as "profoundly unfair and unjust."

Bhattacharya was suspended in June 2023 along with three other faculty members after opposing the administration's decision to call police and expel students who were protesting a stipend cut for Master's students -- f...