Visva-Bharati on Thursday night extended the suspension of economics professor and teachers’ union leader Sudipta Bhattacharyya by a month amid murmurs that it was done in response to his backing the 13-day student movement against varsity vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty after the institution decided to rusticate three dissenting students.

Bhattacharyya was suspended in January apparently for bringing into public discourse Chakrabarty’s alleged insult to Nobel laureate and economist Amartya Sen. Visva-Bharati claimed the varsity executive council found him guilty of “misconduct by mass-circulating a complaint and derogatory/defamatory/ baseless remarks against a fellow employee and providing the copies of the same to high dignitaries by email”.

On the extension of his suspension, the varsity attributed it to disciplinary proceedings remaining incomplete.

Bhattacharyya on Friday said it was “expected from such a vindictive administration after I extended my solidarity to the students’ movement”.

Calcutta High Court on Wednesday stayed the varsity’s move to rusticate the trio and ordered the varsity to allow them to rejoin academic activities. It asked students to call off their protest. Students did so but the varsity has not yet let the trio rejoin classes.

On Friday, several professors condemned the decision to extend Bhattacharyya’s suspension. “He was axed for raising his voice,” said a professor, adding Bhattacharyya led protests against “wrong-doings of the VC and sent letters to the PM and other dignitaries” on the same.

The varsity’s officiating PRO Anirban Sircar did not reply to this paper’s calls or text.