An assembly hall in eastern China's Zhejiang University has recently become an Internet sensation due to its Hogwarts-like appearance. Photo: zjol.com.cn

A renowned Chinese university is in hot water after giving academic probation to a student found guilty of rape by court, triggering heated debate among Chinese society as many called the punishment far too lenient and suspected that the university had leaned toward the student because of his purported ethnic minority identity. 

Zhejiang University said on Sina Weibo on Tuesday that Xihu district court in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province had sentenced the male student to 18 months in jail with 18 months of reprieve. 

By school rules, the university could either expel the student or give him academic probation, considering his situation. The school eventually decided to give him yearlong probation as judicial authorities concluded that the rape had been "discontinued" and he voluntarily surrendered himself to police, said the university announcement.

The university's punishment sparked huge controversy on social media, as many netizens argued that academic probation is too lenient a punishment for a crime such as rape.  

Many condemned the university's decision, saying it showed they appeased and tolerated the crime because he is suspected to be of Kazakh ethnic minority, although there is so far no official confirmation of his identity. There have been widespread calls for stricter punishment against the student.

The discussion was fueled as media reported Tuesday that the Harbin Institute of Technology recently expelled two students who had been caught cheating in their exams. 

"Students with serious integrity problems face expulsion, why can a rapist student stay in school?" questioned a netizen.

Zhejiang University addressed the controversy on Tuesday by saying they have launched a further investigation over the online discussion targeting the student, saying they would seriously deal with all violations of school rules and regulations with no toleration based on the facts.

Zhu Wei, a professor at the China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing, told the Global Times on Tuesday that public concern over the fairness is reasonable but called on the public to treat the issue objectively, instead of fermenting antagonism between different ethnic groups.

However, Zhu noted that perhaps Zhejiang University had been lenient because the court said the student had turned himself in and has "discontinued" the crime.  

However, the professor said that just because someone stopped committing a crime halfway through, it is still a crime, and criminal responsibility must be borne.

Zhu said that the university may have sought to punish the student and give him a chance to rectify his behavior, but it is unfair and unsafe to other students if the university tolerates a criminal and allows him to remain enrolled in the school.