India, March 17 -- A controversy has erupted at the University of Mumbai after senate member Sheetal Devrukhkar-Sheth referred to professor Deepak Pawar, head of the Marathi Abhyas Kendra, as an "urban Naxal" during a meeting on Saturday.

The remark has drawn sharp reactions from academics, activists and members of the academic community, who say such statements threaten academic freedom and damage the reputation of scholars.

The controversial remark was made during the senate meeting, where an adjournment motion was reportedly moved to censure Pawar. Devrukhkar-Sheth claimed that Pawar had violated service conduct rules by criticising chief minister Devendra Fadnavis during a public programme. This led to a heated discussion in the sen...