There is now at least a decade long history of the stifling of dissent at Universities in India.
Teachers and students alike have borne the brunt of increasingly hostile administrations, which believe in resorting to strong-arm measures at the slightest hint of criticism, or questioning from the primary stakeholders.
In the most recent iteration of this deplorable state of affairs, the Registrar’s office of Ambedkar University Delhi(AUD) has issued a show cause notice on the 28th of March to Dr. Kaustav Banerjee, Associate Professor at the School of Global Affairs, for allegedly inciting unrest among the students and for ‘spoiling the academic environment’ during a student-led protest.
The notice, claims that his actions “reflect doubtful integrity, against the interest of the institution, disturbing public order, decency and morality and contrary to the rules, regulations and established practices of the institution and lacking professionalism.”
This is directly related to the events of the Republic Day celebrations during which the Vice Chancellor, Anu Singh Lather, herself made rather inciting remarks and claimed not only that the debate on the Ram Janmabhoomi had lasted for 525 years (thereby arguing for Brahmanical primacy), but also that Dr. B R Ambedkar’s legacy has suffered through his association as the leader of the Dalit community.
This statement was immediately protested against by the students of AUD, following which the University imposed a spate of disciplinary actions on the students, and suspended Mantasha Irfan, a 2nd year MA student of Global Studies, on the charge that she had used “derogatory language” against the Vice Chancellor.
Her suspension has been the focal point of student unrest in recent days, and students are now in the 3rd day of an indefinite sit-in dharna at Ambedkar University, which has been turned into a barricaded fortress in the interim.
Dr. Banerjee had been invited to speak to the student body, the event of which is now being twisted into the subject of a show cause inquiry, evoking disciplinary tactics intended to silence all criticism of the VC turning every legitimate questioning into ‘provocation’ or disruption.
The Democratic Teachers’ Initiative (DTI) strongly condemns both the show cause notice served to Dr. Kaustav Banerjee, as well as the suspension of Mantasha Irfan, and stands by the democratic right of every teacher and student at the University. The University as a space of knowledge can only function in the spirit of free enquiry, and the democratic right to free speech, questioning, and criticism.
It is deeply disturbing that a teacher’s concern for his students is being interpreted as an act against the interest of the university. This normalisation of the university’s interest as distant and distinct from that of students and teachers completely betrays the imagination of a University. It is distressing that university regimes should push teachers to curtail the critical shaping of the students rather than facilitating the same.
We demand the restoration of all rights to the protesting students, and the withdrawal of the show cause notice against Dr. Banerjee with immediate effect.
Democratic Teachers’ Initiative (DTI)
