An associate professor at OP Jindal Global University in Sonipat, Haryana, has been suspended for one semester following serious allegations raised by the father of a student. The suspension of Professor Sarover Zaidi will remain in effect from February 1 to July 31, 2026. The action came after claims that the professor had harassed, humiliated, and discriminated against a student in a manner that reportedly harmed his mental health and academic performance.

The case began when Vishav Bajaj, father of undergraduate student Vikhyaat Bajaj, filed a complaint before the Haryana Human Rights Commission in November 2025. In his complaint, Bajaj stated that his son had faced “harassment at the hands” of two faculty members after submitting an essay titled ‘URI: The Surgical Strike’ on October 31, 2025. According to Bajaj, the content of the essay was not well received by certain teachers. He alleged that on November 3, 2025, his son was harassed in connection with the essay.

The father further stated that his son was repeatedly subjected to remarks “which were politically derogatory, inflammatory and deeply disturbing in nature” during a course titled Politics of Representation, which was taught by Professor Sarover Zaidi. The complaint specifically mentioned that the professor made “comparisons of the Prime Minister of India to Adolf Hitler, and characterisation of national security operations as mere branding exercises.”

Bajaj claimed that “certain professors…began deliberately targeting” his son because he had praised the Modi government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the Indian Army. According to the complaint, this alleged targeting continued and later affected his son’s academic record. Bajaj said that the teachers became resentful and deliberately deducted his son’s marks in an examination, which resulted in him failing the subject.

The matter was then brought to the attention of the university’s Vice Chancellor. Following the complaint, an investigation was conducted by Executive Dean Badrinarayan. During the inquiry, it was reportedly found that Vikhyaat’s examination scores had been deducted without proper justification. As a result, the university revised his examination result, and he subsequently cleared the subject.

Speaking on the matter, Anjoo Mohun, Chief Communications Officer of OP Jindal Global University, stated that the issue is currently under consideration by the Haryana Human Rights Commission and that the university is complying with the Commission’s directions. On January 16, 2026, the Commission sought reports from the Sonipat Police Commissioner and the university registrar. The registrar has been directed to appear in person or send a senior officer before the Commission on May 13, 2026.

Commission Seeks Reports from Government, UGC and Police

The Haryana Human Rights Commission has now expanded the scope of the inquiry. On Friday, the Commission directed the Haryana government, the University Grants Commission, the Sonipat Commissioner of Police, and the management of the private university to submit detailed reports regarding the allegations of harassment, discrimination, and academic victimisation of the student. These directions were issued by HHRC member Deep Bhatia while hearing the complaint filed by the parent, who appeared before the Commission in person.

Copies of the order have been sent to all concerned authorities. The matter has been listed for further hearing on a later date.

Responding to the Commission’s order, Anjoo Mohun told The Indian Express, “We are currently reviewing the order issued by the Haryana Human Rights Commission and shall be submitting our response as per the directions issued by the Commission. We have nothing more to add at this stage.”

Allegations of “Deliberate Victimisation”

The complaint filed by Vishav Bajaj presents a detailed account of what he describes as continuous harassment and discrimination faced by his son. Along with Professor Sarover Zaidi, another faculty member, Professor Ekta Chauhan, has also been named in the complaint.

According to the complainant, his son has an excellent academic and extracurricular record and has studied at reputed institutions before enrolling at OP Jindal Global University. He described his son as a meritorious student whose confidence and well-being were seriously affected by the alleged conduct of the faculty members.

The dispute reportedly began with the essay written on October 31, 2025, based on the film URI: The Surgical Strike. After the essay was submitted, it was allegedly disapproved of by certain teachers. On November 3, 2025, during a class session, the student was reportedly harassed and told not to praise the Government of India, the Prime Minister, or the Indian Army.

Further allegations relate to remarks made on November 7, 2025, during the Politics of Representation course. The complainant stated that derogatory and inflammatory comments were made in class, including comparisons of the Prime Minister of India to Adolf Hitler and dismissive descriptions of national security operations as gimmicks or branding exercises. It was alleged that after expressing views supportive of the government and the armed forces, the student became a target of deliberate victimisation by faculty members who held particular political views.

The complaint also refers to an academic review submitted by the student on the same film. The father alleged that instead of being assessed on academic merit, the student was publicly humiliated in class and informed that such content would not be accepted. He was subsequently declared failed in the subject. However, after he submitted a written complaint to the Vice Chancellor, an inquiry by Executive Dean Badrinarayan reportedly found that the failure was unjustified. The student’s result was revised, and he was declared passed in the internal assessment.

According to the complainant, this correction allegedly led to further hostility. On November 29, 2025, during a jury evaluation, a minor and unintentional error occurred when one of the uploaded documents carried another student’s name. The mistake was corrected in time and reportedly involved no plagiarism or illegality. Despite this, the complainant alleged that the issue was exaggerated and used as grounds to fail the student in a subject related to projection drawing.

The father also expressed concern that his son could be implicated in false or frivolous allegations, claiming that the individuals involved held significant influence within the university. He further alleged that on December 9, 2025, the student was called by the Executive Dean and was repeatedly pressured to withdraw his complaint. When he refused, he was allegedly declared failed again in the subject.

It has also been submitted before the Commission that the student is currently experiencing mental and physical distress. According to the complainant, he is living under constant fear of retaliation, academic failure, and institutional victimisation after raising his grievance. The father stated that despite approaching various authorities, including the police, no action had been taken so far. This, he said, compelled him to approach the Haryana Human Rights Commission for intervention.

The case now awaits further hearings, as multiple authorities have been directed to respond.