Academics, civil society members urge Home Minister to probe into ABVP’s threats to recent events

A group of academics and civil society activists has demanded a probe into the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad’s (ABVP) “repeated instances of vandalism” that are “threatening colleges and academic freedom”. The delegation, led by Prof. Mohan Rao, Dr. Mary John and P. Rohini Rajasekaran, has petitioned Home Minister Priyank Kharge.

The memorandum read, “In February, Azim Premji University was vandalised by the ABVP to stop a student group organising an internal discussion on the infamous 1991 Kunan-Poshpora outrage. In April, a discussion on the book ‘Umar Khalid and His World’, held at the Bengaluru International Centre, also came under attack by the BJP and other affiliated organisations. In September, NLSIU was forced to cancel a screening of a documentary on Umar Khalid, made by renowned filmmaker Lalit Vachani.”

It also stated that recently, in September, an event at Mount Carmel College (Deemed-to-be-University) was cancelled. The event, titled “Gender Politics and the Media in the Fight for Equality”, was called off following a threat from the ABVP over the invitation of a speaker associated with Spark magazine.

The academics opined that these challenges have led to serious threats to democratic spaces in our higher education institutions, which are already in crisis, leading to a further shrinking of democratic space and the fundamental right of students to dissent and question.

While appreciating the government’s decision to lift the 37-year ban on student union elections, the delegation urged him to use the powers vested in him as the Home Minister to take appropriate steps to uphold democratic freedom and dispel fear in academic spaces.