Pune: Thirteen students affiliated to ABVP on Tuesday staged a protest in front of the main gate of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune against the decision to include the book based on jailed activist and former JNU researcher Umar Khalid’s PhD thesis in its library.
Science is based on reasoning, which means scientific institutes should defend the critical thinking in students.
The institute had said the book was retracted “as a precaution in order to avoid any misunderstanding or unrest” after the matter was brought to the authorities’ attention. Let students read and decide whether they like it or not,” an IISER student said. “When the book is not banned in India by govt, and is readily available in the open market, why should it be removed from a library?” she said.
The post was widely shared, with Madabhushi Madan Gopal, chairperson of the institute’s board of governors, responding through his personal ‘X’ account. “Banning of a research thesis-based book is wrong. Since there is nothing anti-national about the lives of Adivasis, why should IISER students not read about it as a part of their broader education? By bowing down to anonymous people on the internet, IISER Pune is setting a dangerous precedent. Why ban a book? Another student questioned how a university of such high repute as IISER could introduce or ban anything based on social media trends.
The controversy began after a photograph of the book displayed on the library’s digital board under the title ‘New Additions of Books’ was shared on ‘X’ by the handle @GemsofAcademia on Saturday night.
Khalid has been lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail since 2020 as an undertrial prisoner in connection with a case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other provisions of law. Released earlier this year, ‘Fractured Communities: Adivasi Histories and the Politics of Power’ examines the history of tribal societies Singhbhum (Jharkhand) and is based on Khalid’s PhD thesis at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). He was recently named the Asia-Pacific recipient of the Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk.
Earlier reporting noted: The post was widely shared, with Madabhushi Madan Gopal, chairperson of the institute’s board of governors, responding through his personal ‘X’ account. Earlier reporting noted: The controversy began after a photograph of the book displayed on the library’s digital board under the title ‘New Additions of Books’ was shared on ‘X’ by the handle @GemsofAcademia on Saturday night.