An associate professor of OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat, has been suspended for one semester, from February 1 to July 31, after she allegedly compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Adolf Hitler.The action against associate professor Sarover Zaidi was taken on January 29 after the Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) began hearing a complaint by the father of a student who alleged his son was being “victimised” for praising the Union Government, PM Modi and the Indian Army.BJP MP Naveen Jindal is the founding chancellor of the university and a member of its governing council.Vishav Bajaj, father of Vikhyaat Bajaj, a first-year undergraduate student of the Jindal School of Design & Architecture, submitted before the HHRC that on November 7, 2025, during a lecture on the course “Politics of Representation” taught by Zaidi, repeated remarks were made in class that were “politically derogatory, inflammatory and deeply disturbing”.Bajaj alleged that PM Modi was compared to Adolf Hitler, national security operations such as Operation Sindoor were described as “gimmicks” and “branding exercises,” civilian deaths were trivialised and official accounts of terrorism were questioned. Audio recordings made by Vikhyaat were also submitted to the HHRC.Vikhyaat had earlier complained to the Vice Chancellor on November 14, 2025, against Zaidi and another faculty member, assistant professor Ekta Chauhan, alleging she made statements such as “Hindus vandalised the Babri Masjid,” “RSS is a banned organisation,” and that “Lord Ram is a mythological figure used for political agendas”.The university subsequently issued show-cause notices to both Zaidi and Chauhan. Zaidi denied the allegations.In her written response dated November 15, Chauhan denied the charges and described herself as a “devout and practising” Hindu. She said her family had been associated with RSS-linked social service traditions since 1972 and that she had performed “kavad seva,” participated in the “Mahakumbh” and contributed to the care of abandoned cows. She also denied making the remarks attributed to her regarding sindoor and Operation Sindoor.University’s chief communications officer Anjoo Mohun told The Tribune, “As per the law, the matter is currently being heard by the Haryana Human Rights Commission. We are fully cooperating with the commission and complying with its directives as required.”On January 16, the HHRC sought reports from the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Commissioner of Police, Sonepat, and the Registrar of JGU regarding the allegations.Following this, the university issued a fresh show-cause notice to Zaidi on January 24 based on additional audio recordings.Zaidi was asked to respond to two allegations found prima facie true by the university. The first pertained to engaging in a politically charged discussion on the branding and visual propaganda surrounding Operation Sindoor and broader PM Modi-era advertising. The second concerned a discussion on political advertising centred on PM Modi and the BJP, including a historical comparison to Adolf Hitler and Nazi propaganda.In her response dated January 29, Zaidi expressed regret that such an incident had occurred during her classroom teaching. She wrote to Registrar Prof DS Patnaik that “whatever is contained in the recordings was not intentional and part of a larger discourse that the audio file did not fully capture.”Zaidi said she admired and respected Parliament, the Constitution and the Indian Armed Forces for their contribution to nation-building. “Accordingly, anything contained in the audio files that even remotely contradicts the above-mentioned sentiments is devoid of any intention or malice on my part,” she said.She stated that the opinions shared in class were “part of a polemical technique,” not her personal views, and were in response to students’ questions during discussion. She emphasised that it was “not a premeditated lecture”.