Hyderabad University Dalit Associate Professor KY Ratnam and Assistant Professor Tathagatha Sengupta, who have actively participated in the justice for Rohith Vemula movement and have been facing police cases for allegedly indulging in vandalism on campus, were suspended from the varsity on Monday.

According to the university's rules, anyone facing police cases cannot continue to teach, which is why the two professors had to suspended, said members of the executive council of University of Hyderabad.

"The government of India rule states that if somebody is in judicial custody for more than 48 hours then they are deemed to be suspended. The vice chancellor wanted to have the matter discussed in the executive council that was held last Monday. Therefore, today (June 13) the orders were issued to the professors," official spokesperson Vipin Srivastava told The Times of India.

The suspension order will be effective until the professors are cleared of their charges. Both Ratnam and Sengupta were arrested on March 22 for allegedly vandalising Vice Chancellor Podile Appa Rao's office.

Rao was forced to go on leave after he was accused of discriminating against Vemula. The PhD scholar committed suicide on January 17, after he and four other students were suspended for allegedly abusing an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad member. Union ministers Bandaru Dattatreya and Smriti Irani have also been criticised for their alleged roles in the events that led to his suicide