Case filed against KU Professor as part of crackdown on academics in IIOJK
Srinagar: In continuation of the ongoing assault on local employees, professionals, and intellectuals in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, an Assistant Professor of Kashmir University has been placed under suspension following the registration of a case at Police Station Nigeen in Hazratbal area of Srinagar.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Deputy Registrar (Administration) of Kashmir University issued an official order placing Dr Altaf Ahmad Ganie, also known by his pen name Shafqat Altaf, under suspension with immediate effect. Dr Ganie is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kashmir Studies at the university.
The order states that the suspension has been imposed pending an inquiry, in terms of University Statute 3.16 (2) read with Regulation 12(3)(IV). During the period of suspension, the Assistant Professor has been attached to the Office of the Dean Research, Kashmir University.
The development has sparked concern among academic circles, who view such actions as part of a broader pattern of intimidation and pressure on scholars and intellectuals in the occupied territory.
Observers say that the shrinking space for academic freedom reflects the worsening situation in educational institutions since the revocation of occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in August 2019.
Critics argue that the use of police cases and administrative suspensions against university faculty contributes to an atmosphere of fear and self-censorship, undermining independent thought and research in the territory.
