Hyderabad, July 22 (IANS): Teachers at Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) have expressed solidarity with social scientist Kancha Ilaiah, who has been served notice by Hyderabad police in connection with an article written by him.

MANUUTA, the teachers' association at the university, on Wednesday held an emergency meeting to condemn the notice issued to Ilaiah, the director of the Alberuni Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy at the university.

A case against the professor and a regional newspaper was lodged at Sultan Bazar police station here in May for publishing an article titled "Is God not a democrat?"

The case was filed on a complaint by some leaders of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), who alleged that the professor insulted Hindu gods.

Police issued the notice on Monday to Ilaiah and the editor of the daily asking them to appear in court.

The teachers' association termed both the FIR and the notice as an infringement upon the rights of academics.

The meeting passed a resolution stating that their freedom of expression, which was their democratic right as citizens of India, was being curtailed and that it needed to be protected.

Members of the teachers' association spoke strongly against the political interference in the academic culture of universities.