Academics urge Azim Premji University to drop FIR against Student Reading Circle

By A Representative

A group of academics and civil society members has issued an open letter to the leadership of Azim Premji University expressing concern over the filing of a police complaint that led to an FIR against a student-run reading circle following a recent incident of violence on campus. The signatories state that they hold the university in high regard for its commitment to constitutional values, critical inquiry and ethical public engagement, and argue that it is precisely because of this reputation that the present development is troubling.

According to the letter, publicly available accounts indicate that the immediate wrongdoing in the episode was vandalism and assault allegedly carried out by members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), described as an external political organisation. The violence reportedly included damage to property and harm to students and staff, and is characterised in the letter as a direct attack on the autonomy and safety of the university community.

The signatories argue that matters relating to procedure, event approvals and internal disagreements are ordinarily addressed through established disciplinary and governance mechanisms within universities. Converting such issues into criminal allegations, they contend, risks conflating debate or administrative lapses with illegality and introduces the threat of state coercion into academic life.

Describing criminal law as an instrument of last resort, the letter states that it should not be used to regulate student expression, manage reputational concerns or respond to disruption by external political actors. The continued pendency of a criminal case against students, the signatories note, leaves them under the shadow of potential prosecution and may undermine conditions necessary for free inquiry, intellectual risk-taking and collective trust on campus.

The letter calls on the university administration to take immediate and transparent steps to ensure that no student faces criminal consequences for academic discussion or debate conducted within constitutional bounds. Specifically, it urges the leadership to publicly affirm that student expression within constitutional limits will not be criminalised; to use all available legal and institutional avenues to secure closure of the FIR against the Spark Reading Circle at the earliest opportunity; and to recommit to internal, non-carceral mechanisms for addressing procedural or administrative concerns.

Framing the episode as a test of institutional values, the signatories urge the university to act swiftly to restore confidence within its community and uphold the principles it has long espoused.

The letter is endorsed by more than 400 signatories from a wide range of institutions and professions, including current and former faculty members of universities in India and abroad, researchers, students, journalists, artists and independent scholars. Among those who have signed are academics affiliated with institutions such as Jawaharlal Nehru University, the University of Delhi, IIT Bombay, Ashoka University, the National Law School of India University, and several international universities. The full list of signatories has been attached to the letter.

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