'Attack on free expression': ABVP 'insults' Udaipur professor for FB post

Counterview Desk

People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Rajasthan, condemning what it called "insult of Professor Himanshu Pandya" by students affiliated with with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarti Parishad (ABVP) in Udaipur, has said he was evicted from the class where he was teaching after raising "ugly slogans", forcing him to "leave the university".

Stating the reason for the attack of Prof Pandya was a Facebook post six months ago, where he had "expressed pain over the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992", PUCL insisted, it is "attack on the freedom of expression and curtailment of academic freedom", and if left unpunished, "it could derail democracy."

Text:

PUCL condemns the insulting treatment of Prof Himanshu Pandya at Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, by student activists of the ABVP. This represents not just an attack on one person, but an attempt to stifle academic freedom and curtail free speech, vital to the health of any democracy. PUCL demands that the state government take cognizance of the offence without delay, and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Prof Himanshu Pandya had been specially invited to the university to teach a course in research methods. The ABVP members reached his class without any warning. They abused the professor and evicted him from the class, raised ugly slogans and forced him to leave the university, pursuing him with slogans even outside the campus. After Prof Pandya left, the foul-mouthed group protested against course coordinator Prof Sudha Choudhury and department head Hemant Dwivedi.

The agitated ABVP activists claimed they were protesting against Prof Pandya because on a Facebook post six months ago, he had expressed pain over the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992. This is evidence that the ABVP members have little respect for the freedom of expression.

To assert that their protest was legitimate, the students later uploaded content on YouTube claiming that Prof Pandya was a supporter of Palestine. The student activists seemed completely ignorant that the Government of India too has often expressed support for the suffering people of Palestine.

What is noteworthy is that the class Prof Pandya was teaching was about research methodology – there was no mention of either Babri Masjid or Palestine during that session.

PUCL is deeply pained that the Bharatiya Janata Party, in power in the state and currently leading a coalition government at the Centre, has worked relentlessly to constrain academic freedom. The RSS and its affiliated organizations have been working tirelessly to penetrate the education system. These forces of disruption had been curtailed for long in independent India, but have been granted impunity under the rule of the BJP.

Even before this incident on June 8, 2024, there have been instances of attacks on academic freedom.

ABVP activists claimed books written by Bhagat Singh were treasonous, and students must only read material promoting patriotism

Rajasthan Central University disallowed students from watching the BBC documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots. Students of Rajasthan University had attempted a memorial event for martyr to India’s freedom Bhagat Singh, which the ABVP activists stopped. Tearing up literature available at the site, ABVP activists claimed that books written by Bhagat Singh were “treasonous,” and students must only read material that promoted patriotism!

Across universities in the state, there is an undeclared clampdown on events that celebrate democracy, equality, secularism, and freedom of expression. A teacher in Baran district was suspended for speaking with students about the Constitution! Muslim teachers are facing the brunt of the illogical power of the state.

The Constitution of India provides for free expression and debate between people holding different points of view. That is why the freedom of expression is listed as a Fundamental Right. It is a matter of great concern that right-wing activism has found considerable success in curtailing the scope for debate even within universities. Only what Hindutva considers appropriate, according to such activists, ought to feature in curricula and classrooms.

What is significant is that the incident at Udaipur on June 8, 2024 occurred even though the subject of the discussion had nothing to do with Hindutva. The ABVP activists were clearly flexing their muscles, asserting their powers, and working to prevent anyone who disagrees with them from gaining access to a public university. It was a show of power, and an attempt to intimidate.

PUCL calls upon the state government and the university authorities to take cognizance of this crime on India’s democracy and bring the accused to book.

Comments

1857 War of Independence... when Hindu-Muslim separatism, hatred wasn't an issue

"The Sepoy Revolt at Meerut", Illustrated London News, 1857 By Shamsul Islam* Large sections of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs unitedly challenged the greatest imperialist power, Britain, during India’s First War of Independence which began on May 10, 1857; the day being Sunday. This extraordinary unity, naturally, unnerved the firangees and made them realize that if their rule was to continue in India, it could happen only when Hindus and Muslims, the largest two religious communities were divided on communal lines.

The curious case of multiple entries of a female voter of Maharashtra: What ECI's online voter records reveal

By Venkatesh Nayak* Cyberspace is agog with data, names and documents which question the reliability of the electoral rolls prepared by the electoral bureaucracy in Maharashtra prior to the General Elections conducted in 2024. One such example of deep dive probing has brought to the surface, the name of one female voter in the 132-Nalasopara (Gen) Vidhan Sabha Constituency in Maharashtra. Nalasopara is part of the Palghar (ST) Lok Sabha constituency. This media report claims that this individual's name figures multiple times in the voter list of the same constituency.

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

Spirit of leadership vs bondage: Of empowered chairman of 100-acre social forestry coop

By Gagan Sethi* This is about Khoda Sava, a young Dalit belonging to the Vankar sub-caste, who worked as a bonded labourer in a village near Vadgam in Banskantha district of North Gujarat. The year was 1982. Khoda had taken a loan of Rs 7,000 from the village sarpanch, a powerful landlord doing money-lending as his side business. Khoda, who had taken the loan for marriage, was landless. Normally, villagers would mortgage their land if they took loan from the sarpanch. But Khoda had no land. He had no option but to enter into a bondage agreement with the sarpanch in order to repay the loan. Working in bondage on the sarpanch’s field meant that he would be paid Rs 1,200 per annum, from which his loan amount with interest would be deducted. He was also obliged not to leave the sarpanch’s field and work as daily wager somewhere else. At the same time, Khoda was offered meal once a day, and his wife job as agricultural worker on a “priority basis”. That year, I was working as secretary...

Proposed Modi yatra from Jharkhand an 'insult' of Adivasi hero Birsa Munda: JMM

Counterview Desk The civil rights network, Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JMM), which claims to have 30 grassroots groups under its wings, has decided to launch Save Democracy campaign to oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra to be launched on November 15 from the village of legendary 19th century tribal independence leader Birsa Munda from Ulihatu (Khunti district).

Ground reality: Israel would a remain Jewish state, attempt to overthrow it will be futile

By NS Venkataraman* Now that truce has been arrived at between Israel and Hamas for a period of four days and with release of a few hostages from both sides, there is hope that truce would be further extended and the intensity of war would become significantly less. This likely “truce period” gives an opportunity for the sworn supporters and bitter opponents of Hamas as well as Israel and the observers around the world to introspect on the happenings and whether this war could have been avoided. There is prolonged debate for the last several decades as to whom the present region that has been provided to Jews after the World War II belong. View of some people is that Jews have been occupants earlier and therefore, the region should belong to Jews only. However, Christians and those belonging to Islam have also lived in this regions for long period. While Christians make no claim, the dispute is between Jews and those who claim themselves to be Palestinians. In any case...

Two more "aadhaar-linked" Jharkhand deaths: 17 die of starvation since Sept 2017

Kaleshwar's sons Santosh and Mantosh Counterview Desk A fact-finding team of the Right to Feed Campaign, pointing towards the death of two more persons due to starvation in Jharkhand, has said that this has happened because of the absence of aadhaar, leading to “persistent lack of food at home and unavailability of any means of earning.” It has disputed the state government claims that these deaths are due to reasons other than starvation, adding, the authorities have “done nothing” to reduce the alarming state of food insecurity in the state.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Morbi’s ceramic workers face silicosis epidemic, 92% denied legal health benefits: PTRC study

By Rajiv Shah A new study by the Gujarat-based health rights organisation, Peoples Training and Research Centre (PTRC), warns that most workers in Morbi district’s ceramic industry—which produces 90% of India’s ceramic output—are at high risk of contracting silicosis, a deadly occupational disease.

Search This Blog