A Delhi University faculty member who was part of critical experiments at a physics laboratory in Geneva has been declared “not found suitable” to be promoted as professor, fueling allegations that he was being targeted for his Dalit identity.

Ashok Kumar, an associate professor in the department of physics and astrophysics, has worked as a scientist and technical coordinator in experiments conducted at CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research.

His peers have described him as a highly cited professor with an h-index of 120. The average h-index of Indian professors is less than 20, they said.

The h-index is a metric to evaluate the productivity and impact of a researcher. It measures the number of times a researcher’s publications have been cited.

Kumar is also one of the recipients of the $3 million Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for 2025.

Despite his accomplishments, Kumar was found wanting by a DU selection panel that declared him “not found suitable” (NFS) for promotion.

Three associate professors of the department had applied for promotion under the career advancement scheme. The university had set up a selection panel headed by vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh. The panel included four subject experts, a faculty member from the SC community and a nominee of the Visitor.

The panel interviewed the candidates on June 2 and recommended the promotion of two faculty members who are junior to Kumar.

The case has come to light amid allegations that the NFS was being used as a tool to deny opportunities to SC, ST and OBC faculty members in higher educational institutions. The leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had last month posted on X that the NFS is the new Manuvaad — a reference to the social hierarchy and discriminatory practices rooted in Manusmriti.

“Eligible candidates from SC/ST/OBCs are being deliberately declared ‘unsuitable’ so that they are kept away from education and leadership,” Rahul had posted on May 27.

The parliamentary committee for the welfare of SCs and STs has also flagged the rampant use of NFS to deny opportunities to eligible candidates at AIIMS, New Delhi.

The Social Democratic Teachers’ Front (SDTF), a teachers’ body working for social justice at DU, and the National Confederation of Dalit Organisations (NACDOR) have alleged caste bias in the varsity’s decision and demanded the VC’s resignation.

“The SDTF has repeatedly raised concerns about the recurring issue of NFS cases across various departments for the posts of professors, associate professors and assistant professors. This latest case further underscores the need for a thorough review of the selection process, biased role of observer and DU administration to ensure transparency, fairness, and adherence to academic standards,” a statement by the teachers’ body said.

NACDOR chairman Ashok Bharti said 90 per cent of NFS cases were from SC, ST and OBC communities across universities. “Politicisation is going on in full swing in bureaucracy and academia. The interview board is loaded with people from forward castes who are biased against non-savarna people. The interviews should be video recorded,” Bharti said.

An academic who was part of the DU selection committee as a subject expert defended the panel’s decision. “It is a collective decision. We quizzed him (Kumar) to understand his subject knowledge and leadership skills. Based on that, a collective decision was taken,” he said.

An email has been sent to the VC for his perspective on the allegations of bias. His comments are awaited.