A major controversy has erupted at the Symbiosis Law School in Nagpur, as several Hindu female students have accused Assistant Professor Dr Ahmar Afaq of sending sexually explicit messages to them, urging them to offer Namaz and convert to Islam.
What are the allegations against Symbiosis Law School Assistant Professor Ahmar Afaq?
Reports say that the matter came to light after a Hindu female student showed the purported sexually explicit messages allegedly sent by Professor Ahmar Afaq to her father. The student’s father approached the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), which then raised the matter with the college administration and met the Nagpur Police Commissioner.
According to reports, Professor Ahmar Afaq used to send messages to female Hindu students crossing ethical bounds, mixing sexual advances with direct urging and pressure to adopt Islamic practices like offering Namaz, reading the Quran and converting to Islam.
Symbiosis administration forms committee for probe; accused Ahmar Afaq sent on leave
A complaint has been lodged by the victim, and the Symbiosis Law School administration has taken its cognisance.
A high-level committee has been formed to probe the matter and recommend action. Until the investigation is complete, Ahmar Afaq has been sent on leave and will not be allowed to attend the campus.
Symbiosis Law School Nagpur Director Dr Sukhvinder Singh Dari confirmed that the professor under scrutiny has been directed not to visit the campus or participate in academic activities pending the outcome of the inquiry.
The varsity administration has also said that the probe will also extend to similar allegations against Ahmar Afaq at a university in Hyderabad where he was previously employed.
As per Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 5) Nityanand Jha, 15-17 people from various organisations gathered at the Symbiosis Law School’s Nagpur campus at about 11.30 am on Saturday (17th October). The local police facilitated talks between the protesters and the administration, following which the professor was placed on leave.
Tensions, however, escalated at around 6:45 pm on Saturday, when approximately 15 to 20 people, along with the complainant student and her father, arrived at the university.
Some local media reports say that after the complainant’s father confronted Professor Ahmar Afaq, the latter turned violent and attacked him. Refusing to be intimidated, the complainant’s father also reportedly slapped Afaq.
Meanwhile, the varsity’s internal inquiry committee convened an open-house session, with over 100 to 120 students appearing. After police intervention, a delegation of six to seven people met with the Symbiosis Law School administration.
As of Sunday (18th October), a formal complaint is reported to have not been filed with the police.
Amid the outrage, several social media users have brought up Ahmar Afaq’s old Facebook picture of him posing with All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi. Many are raising questions about alleged political patronage.
Nagpur Symbiosis Law School students, alumni, and parents launch online petition demanding fair inquiry
While the Symbiosis Law School, Nagpur, administration has initiated a probe into the complaints against Assistant Professor Ahmar Afaq, students, alumni, and parents linked have submitted a formal representation to the college administration.
An online petition titled Upholding Symbiosis Values: Zero Tolerance for Misconduct has been launched, which delves into the allegations against Ahmar Afaq and raises several demands to ensure the safety of students.
“We, the students, alumni, parents, and concerned members of the academic community associated with Symbiosis Law School (SLS), Nagpur, respectfully submit this representation to express our serious concern regarding certain recent developments on campus, the concerns raised by members of the student community, and the perceived lack of timely and transparent communication from the institutional administration,” the representation reads.
The representation raises concern about alleged sexually explicit and religiously sensitive communications by the faculty member in question.
“Concerns have been raised regarding communications allegedly exchanged between Assistant Professor Ahmar Afaq and a female student, which have reportedly been perceived as inappropriate and religiously sensitive, purportedly indicating towards Conversion Grooming gangs and radical activities.
It is further understood that these communications subsequently became the subject of a confrontation on campus involving members of the student’s family and the faculty member, followed by a formal complaint,” it states.
The signatories have demanded answers from the college administration about the action taken so far, to ensure the safety of the concerned student and preserve relevant evidence.
“Given that some of the concerns relate to electronic communications and events occurring on campus, we respectfully request that all potentially relevant records be preserved in accordance with applicable law and University policy. This may include, where legally permissible and relevant: Electronic communications and associated records; Records relating to Student Council and institutional appointments; Relevant administrative correspondence; Campus CCTV footage and other available security records; and any other material that may reasonably assist an impartial inquiry,” the representation adds.
Besides pressing for institutional accountability and the need for a free and fair inquiry, the Symbiosis Law School students, alumni, and related parents have also raised serious concerns about the recruitment, appointment, background verification, and institutional role of one professor, Saqib Rasool Bhat.
The representation states that Bhat, who served “as a faculty member in International Law and was understood to have been serving during a probationary period”, has a “close professional association with Assistant Professor Ahmar Afaq.”
The signatories of the representation have raised concerns not only about Bhat’s closeness with Ahmar Afaq but also the former’s ideological-political activism. It also highlights certain anti-India communications of Saqib Rasool Bhat.
“It has also been represented to us that Mr. Bhat had a close professional association with Assistant Professor Ahmar Afaq. In view of the concerns separately raised regarding the conduct and institutional influence of Mr. Afaq, the nature and extent of such professional associations may reasonably warrant examination as part of a broader and impartial institutional review,” the representation states.
“Concerns have further been raised regarding Mr. Bhat’s previous academic and public activities, including allegations of involvement in forms of ideological or political activism that some members of the academic community consider inconsistent with the University’s expectations of neutrality, inclusivity, and a responsible academic environment. There are also concerns that views or communications perceived by students as being hostile towards India or inconsistent with the University’s institutional ethos may have been expressed or promoted within the academic environment,” it adds.
Controversies linked to Symbiosis Law School in Nagpur
The Symbiosis Law School in Nagpur is reported to have courted several controversies in recent years.
In May 2025, a final-year student, Isha Kumari, at Symbiosis Law School, Nagpur, was suspended by the varsity administration after being found in a hotel room with Rejaz M. Sydeek, a Maoist sympathiser and independent journalist from Kerala, who was arrested by authorities and booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) over his post against Operation Sindoor on Instagram. Sydeek had condemned Operation Sindoor carried out by the Indian Armed Forces against terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir. He had also criticised the crackdown against Naxalites.
