A group of students organised an event criticising the state’s scapegoating and execution of a Muslim man, Afzal Guru, as a ‘terrorist’ without any evidence. The event is cancelled by the administration after complaints from the student body of the Hindu right (ABVP). The elected president of the student union (JNUSU), Kanhaiya Kumar, who is left-leaning, was arrested on charges of sedition (an old colonial era law) citing a speech he gave earlier.
A witch hunt is unleashed with police combing student hostels with a list of so-called ‘anti-nationals’. Students go into hiding and Kanhaiya is still in jail, being threatened with being handed over to an ‘anti-terrorism squad. When faculty turn up in a Delhi court to support Kanhaiya, they are beaten up as ‘anti-nationals’ along with the press and thrown out.
The university is on strike, faculty are organising daily teach-ins and protest meetings.
This is part of a global, and systematic assault, by the right wing on universities. Clearly, academic freedom and critical thought do not mix well with regressive ideologies. In India, it is manifested as a silent Prime Minister belonging to the BJP, who watches on as its student wing, ABVP, and several elected members of parliament descend into hooliganism, intimidation and purging of academic spaces of all dissenters.
They use administrators who act as lackeys of politicians, colonial era repressive laws, and bring in a corrupt police force to implement their dictat. The conflict at JNU comes after tactics of intimidation resulted in the expulsion of Dalit students in HCU (Hyderabad Central University), leading one student, Rohith Vemula, to commit suicide. Before this, the premier film institute of the country, FTII, was subjected to a clearly political appointment of an unqualified Vice Chancellor. The non-violent student protest was brutally crushed.
However, the Indian government is also highly sensitive about its image abroad. This is where this solidarity campaign hopes to intervene.
We, the undersigned, stand in solidarity with the students, faculty and staff of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi against the illegal ongoing police action since February 9, 2016. With them, we affirm the autonomy of the university as a non-militarized space for freedom of thought and expression. Accordingly, we condemn police presence on campus and the harassment of students on the basis of their political beliefs.
The charge of sedition, under the guise of which the police have been given a carte blanche to enter the JNU campus, to raid student hostels, arrest and detain students, including Kanhaiya Kumar, the current president of the JNU Students Union, is an alibi for the incursion of an authoritarian regime onto the university campus. Under Indian law sedition applies only to words and actions that directly issue a call to violence. The peaceful demonstration and gathering of citizens does not constitute criminal conduct. The police action on JNU campus is illegal under the constitution of India.
An open, tolerant, and democratic society is inextricably linked to critical thought and expression cultivated by universities in India and abroad. As teachers, students, and scholars across the world, we are watching with extreme concern the situation unfolding at JNU and refuse to remain silent as our colleagues (students, staff, and faculty) resist the illegal detention and autocratic suspension of students. We urge the Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University to protect members of the university community and safeguard their rights.
Syed Shahid Abbas, Institute of Development Studies, Brighton, U.K.
Gilbert Achcar, SOAS, University of London
Katie Addleman, University of Toronto
Aftab Ahmad, (JNU 2000), Columbia University
Aijaz Ahmad, University of California, Irvine
Meena Alexander, City University of New York
Tariq Omar Ali, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign
Liyanage Amarakeerthi, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Harini Amarasuriya, Open University of Sri Lanka
Eyal Amiran, UC Irvine, California, USA
Dibyesh Anand, University of Westminster
Sundari Anitha, (JNU 1996), University of Lincoln Brayford Pool
Ponni Arasu, (JNU 2005), University of Toronto
Jayadev Athreya, University of Washington
Anjali Arondekar, University of California, Santa Cruz
Saurabh Arora, University of Sussex
Edward Anderson, (JNU 2009), Cambridge University
Edward Bacal, University of Toronto
Nandita Badami, (JNU 2011), University of California Irvine
Shiladitya Banerjee, University of Chicago
Amit R. Baishya, (JNU 2003), University of Oklahoma
Anirban Baishya, (JNU 2013), University of Southern California
Aparna Balachandran, (JNU 2000), University of Delhi
Sai Balakrishnan, Harvard University
Jairus Banaji, (JNU 1975) SOAS, London
Murad Banaji, University of Middlesex
Sandeep Banerjee, McGill University
Sreenanti Banerjee, Birkbeck, University of London
Anustup Basu, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Arani Basu, (JNU 2015), Humboldt University
Ananyo “Tito” Basu, American Cooperative School of Tunis
Priyanka Basu, (JNU 2011), SOAS, London
Srimati Basu, University of Kentucky
Subho Basu, (JNU 1988), McGill University
Lalit Batra, University of Minnesota
Daniel Bender, University of Toronto
Sukanya Banerjee, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Gurminder K Bhambra, University of Warwick/Linnaeus University
Brenna Bhandar, SOAS, University of London
V. Bhaskar, (JNU 1981, JNUSU President 1981), University of Texas at Austin
Varuni Bhatia, (JNU), University of Michigan Ann Arbor
Gargi Bhattacharyya, University of East London
Nandini Bhattacharya, (JNU 2005), University of Dundee
Ritwik Bhattacharyya, Princeton University
Shreya Bhattacherjee, (JNU 2010), University of California, Riverside
Soumyadip Bandyopadhyaya, IIT-Kharagpur
Akeel Bilgrami, Columbia University
Debanjali Biswas, (JNU 2011), King’s College London
Nabaneeta Biswas, University of Georgia
Somak Biswas, (JNU 2015), University of Warwick
Manuela Boatcă, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
Anannya Bohidar, (JNU 2014), University of Pennsylvania
David Boyk, University of California, Berkeley
Wendy Brown, University of California, Berkeley
Kriti Budhiraja, (JNU 2014), University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Judith Butler, University of California, Berkeley
Erica Burman, University of Manchester
Utathya C., (JNU 2011), University of Illinois
Radhika Chadha, (JNU 2005), Delhi University
Pavel Chakraborty, (JNU 2003), Oxford University
Pratik Chakrabarti, (JNU 2000), University of Manchester
Dipesh Chakrabarty, University of Chicago
Priyanka Chakraborty, Southern Methodist University
Aditi Chandra, University of California
Ananya Chatterjea, University of Minnesota
Anindita Chatterjee, University of Minnesota
Anomitro Chatterjee, (JNU 2010), Georgia State Universit
Chandrayee Chatterjee, (JNU 2012), Georgia State University.
Partha Chatterjee, Columbia University
Sumita Dutt Chatterjee, (JNU 1989), University of Miami
Sameer Chaturvedi, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Antara Ray Chaudhury, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Divya Cherian, (JNU 2008), Rutgers University
Meghna Chaudhuri, (JNU 2012), New York University
Francis Cody, University of Toronto
Dia Da Costa, University of Alberta
Bedatri Datta Choudhury, (JNU 2012), New York University
Mrinalini Chakravorty, University of Virginia.
Lawrence Cohen, University of California, Berkeley
Aditi Surie von Czechowski, Columbia University
Katyayani Dalmia, (JNU 2008), New School
Deepra Dandekar, University of Heidelberg, Germany
Chandler Davis, University of Toronto
Dharashree Das, (JNU 2005), Simon Fraser University
Manishita Dass, Royal Holloway, University of London
Sangeeta Das, (JNU 2007), Jawaharlal Nehru University
Satadru Das, (JNU 2008), Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
Ananya Dasgupta, (JNU 2003), Case Western Reserve University
Rohit K Dasgupta, University of Southampton
Sandipto Dasgupta, King’s College, London
Sejuti Dasgupta, (JNU 2010), Michigan State University
Natalie Zemon Davis, University of Toronto
Siddhartha Deb, Writer, The New School
Sanchia deSouza, University of Toronto
Federico Demaria, ICTA UAB, Barcelona, Spain
Karishma Desai, Teachers College, Columbia University
Jigna Desai, University of Minnesota
Meenu Deswal, (JNU 2014), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Garima Dhabai, (JNU 2015), Yale University
Meena Dhanda, University of Wolverhampton
Neha Dhole, (JNU 2010), University of Pittsburgh
Rohan D’Souza, (JNU 1998), Kyoto University
Debjani Dutta, (JNU 2012), University of Southern California
Devika Dutt, (2014), University of Massachusetts, Amherst
J Daniel Elam, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Kanishka Elupula, (JNU 2008), Harvard University
Sara Feldman, University of Illinois
Peter Fitting, University of Toronto
Bashabi Fraser, Edinburgh Napier University
Kathleen Frederickson, University of California, Davis
Elaine Freedgood, New York University
Debjani Ganguly, University of Virginia
Keya Ganguly, University of Minnesota
Faisal Garba, University of Cape Town
Gaurav C. Garg,(JNU 2013), New York University
Roos Gerritsen, Heidelberg University & IIT Madras
Maitreesh Ghatak, London School of Economics
Bishnupriya Ghosh, University of California, Santa Barbara
Vinay Gidwani, University of Minnesota
Natasha Ginwala, (JNU 2010), curator
Dishanka Gogoi, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Hugo Gorringe, University of Edinburgh
Ann Grodzins Gold, Syracuse University
Priyamvada Gopal, (JNU 1991), University of Cambridge
Mahesh Gopalan, (JNU 2012), St. Stephen’s College, New Delhi
Ratna Goradia, (JNU 2008), New York Post
Yogita Goyal, University of California Los Angeles
Radhika Govindrajan, (JNU 2006), University of Washington
Isabelle Guérin, Centre d’études en Sciences Sociales Sur Les Mondes Américains Africains et Asiatiques
Akhil Gupta, University of California, Los Angeles
Anoushka Gupta (JNU 2008), York University
Bishnupriya Gupta, (JNU 1983), University of Warwick
Bipasha Guptaroy, (JNU 1984), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Shubhra Gururani, York University, Canada
Alexis Halkovic (JNU 1996), The Graduate Center, City University of New York
Thomas Blom Hansen, Stanford University
Anusha Hariharan, (JNU 2011), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Martin Harries, University of California, Irvine
Barbara Harriss-White, Oxford University
Anneeth Kaur Hundle, University of California, Merced
Phil Hutchinson, Manchester Metropolitan University
Aashique Ahmed Iqbal, (JNU 2011), University of Oxford
Feyzi Ismail, SOAS, University of London
Bharati Jagannatha, (JNU PhD 2010), Miranda House
Sudeep Kumar Jaiswal, (JNU 2015), East China Normal University (ECNU)
Chinnaiah Jangam, (JNU 1998), Carleton College
Arjun Jayadev, University of Massachusetts, Boston
Ketaki Jaywant, (JNU, 2008), University of Minnesota
Patricia Jeffery, University of the Edinburgh
Anderson Jeremiah, Lancaster University
Shikha Jhingan, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Bhoomika Joshi, (JNU 2009), Yale University
Abhishek Kaicker, University of California, Berkeley
Vidya Kalaramadam, William Paterson University of New Jersey
Virinder S Kalra, University of Manchester
Sangeeta Kamat, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Lipika Kamra, (JNU 2010), University of Oxford
Aparna Kapadia, (JNU 2005), Williams College
Caren Kaplan, University of California, Davis
Anupama Kapse, Queens College, CUNY
Jyotsna Kapur, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
Radha Kapuria, (JNU 2013), King’s College London
Sumayya Kassamalli, Columbia University
Malavika Kasturi, (JNU 1988-1992), University of Toronto
Suvir Kaul, University of Pennsylvania
Ravinder Kaur, (JNU 1996, JNUSU General Secretary 1994-1995), University of Copenhagen
Sudipta Kaviraj, Columbia University
Prashant Keshavmurthy, (JNU 1998), McGill University
Prashant Kidambi, (JNU 1994), University of Leicester
Wiebke Keim, CNRS/University of Strasbourg
Jocelyn Killmer, Syracuse University
Makiko Kimura, (JNU 2004), Tsuda College, Tokyo
Ashok Kotwal, University of British Columbia
Ashish Koul, (JNU 2006), Vanderbilt University
Monomita Roy Krishna, (JNU 1982), University of Hawaii
Sankaran Krishna, (JNU 1982), University of Hawaii at Manoa
Jesse Ross Knutson, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
Abdul Kuddus, (JNU 2005), Learning Solutions Consultant
Sikandar Kumar, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Leena Kumarappan, London Metropolitan University
CJ Kuncheria, (JNU 2015), Yale University
Rishabh Kumar, (JNU 2008), The New School, New York
Sahil Kureshi, (JNU 2013), Oxford University
Vinay Lal, University of California Los Angeles
Mahmood Kooria, (JNU 2012), Leiden University, the Netherlands
Premesh Lalu, University of the Western Cape
Jens Lerche, SOAS, University of London
David Palumbo-Liu, Stanford University
Madhura Lohokare, (JNU 2003), Syracuse University
Munira Lokhandwala, University of California, Berkeley
Ania Loomba, University of Pennsylvania
Sumi Madhok, (JNU 1997), London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
Aparna Mahariya, (JNU 2015), University of Exeter
Rochona Majumdar, University of Chicago
Meghana Marathe, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Sanjeev Routray, (JNU 2003), University of British Columbia
Sudhir Mahadevan, University of Washington, Seattle
Bakirathi Mani, (JNU 1997) Swarthmore College
Surbhi Mahajan, (JNU 2008), Development Researcher
Aakshi Magazine, (JNU 2011), University of St Andrews, UK
Tapasi Mathur, (JNU 2008), University of Michigan
Lyla Mehta, Institute of Development Studies, UK
Nora Melnikova, Charles University, Prague
Dilip Menon, University of Witwatersrand
Gayatri A. Menon, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru
Minakshi Menon, (JNU 1985), Max Planck Institute for the History of Science
Nikhil Menon, (JNU 2011), Princeton University
Thomas Metcalf, University of California, Berkeley
Sumeet Mhaskar, University of Göttingen
Darshana Mini, University of Southern California
Saurabh Mishra, (JNU 2004), University of Sheffield
Shaivya Mishra, (JNU 2013), University of California Berkeley
Timothy Mitchell, Columbia University
Kirtimaan Mohan, (JNU 2009), Michigan State University, East Lansing
Taneesha Devi Mohan, (JNU 2010), London School of Economics
Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Syracuse University
Padmini Mongia, (JNU Visiting Faculty 2008-2010), Franklin & Marshall College
Radhika Mongia, York University, Toronto
Nayanika Mookherjee, (JNU 1996), Durham University, UK
Rosalind C. Morris, Columbia University
Debashree Mukherjee, (JNU 2009), Columbia University
Ishan Mukherjee, (JNU 2011), Trinity College, University of Cambridge
Sanjukta Mukherjee, (JNU), DePaul University
Shagata Mukherjee, Georgia State University
Shruti Mukherjee, (JNU 2013), SUNY Stony Brook
Sinjini Mukherjee, (JNU 2008), Heidelberg University
Upamanyu Pablo Mukherjee, Warwick University
Uponita Mukherjee, (JNU 2014), Columbia University
Sharun W. Mukand, Warwick University
Dulali Nag, Indian Institute for Social Welfare and Business Management
Richa Nagar, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Kartik Nair, (JNU 2010), New York University
Rahul Nair, (JNU 1998), Antioch College
Vijayanka Nair, New York University
Siddharth Narrain, Lawyer and Legal Researcher
Poonam Natarajan, (JNU 1976), CSRD/SSS
Anjali Nath, American University of Beirut
Vasuki Nesiah, The Gallatin School, NYU
Eleanor Newbigin, SOAS, University of London
Anirban Nigam, (JNU 2014), University of California Irvine
Madhurima Nundy, Institute of Chinese Studies
Daniel O’Connor, University of Edinburg
Goldie Osuri, University of Warwick
Poornima Paidipathy, (JNU 2000), Cambridge University
Shailaja Paik, University of Cincinnati
Poulomi Pal, (JNU 2010), Amherst College
Ankita Pandey, (JNU 2008), University of Oxford
Ishita Pande, (JNU 1999), Queen’s University
Khaliq Parkar, (JNU 2015), Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts, Pune
Ian Parker, University of Leicester
Jonathan Parry, London School of Economics and Political Science
Prachi Patankar, South Asia Solidarity Initiative
Anuranjan Pegu, (JNU 2005), New York
Sonali Perera, Hunter College of the City University New York
Lakshmi Prasad, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Kavita Philip, University of California, Irvine
Chris Pinney, University College London
Sheldon Pollock, Columbia University
Gyan Prakash, (JNU 1975), Princeton University
Ashok Prasad, Colorado State University
David Prochaska, University of Illinois
Navtej K. Purewal, SOAS University of London
Teja Varma Pusapati, University of Oxford
Asgar Qadri, George Washington University
Nayma Qayum, Manhattanville College
R. Radhakrishnan, University of California Irvine
Pallavi Raghavan, Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi
Raisur Rahman, (JNU 2000) Wake Forest University
Amit S. Rai, Queen Mary, University of London
Arvind Rajagopal, New York University
Dalpat Rajpurohit, (JNU 2008), Columbia University
Suvrat Raju, International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, Bangalore
Harsha Ram, University of California, Berkeley
Bhavani Raman, (JNU 1999), University of Toronto
Lucinda Ramberg, Cornell University
Namita Ranganathan, (JNU 1988), Delhi University
Bhargav Rani, (JNU 2014), City University of New York
Barbara Ransby, University of Illinois at Chicago
Anupama Rao, Barnard College, Columbia University
Rahul Rao, SOAS, University of London
Shruti Rao, (JNU 2011), University of British Columbia
Harshit Rathi, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Raka Ray, University of California, Berkeley
Reeju Ray, (JNU 2007), University of Western Ontario
Sangeeta Ray, University of Maryland
Boike Rehbein, Humboldt University Berlin
Allen F. Roberts, University of California, Los Angeles
E. Natalie Rothman, University of Toronto
Soumyadip Roy, (JNU 2009), Iowa State University
Srila Roy, University of Witwatersrand
Srirupa Roy, University of Goettingen
Srabani Roychoudhury, (JNU 1992), Jawaharlal Nehru University
Kanchana N. Ruwanpura, University of Edinburgh
Poulomi Saha, University of California, Berkeley
Sangita Saha, (JNU 2011), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Arun Saldanha, University of Minnesota
Aditi Saraf, Johns Hopkins University
Aprajita Sarcar, (JNU 2013), Queen’s University Ontario
Aditya Sarkar, (JNU 2005), Warwick University
Parnisha Sarkar, (JNU 2015), University of Toronto
Andrew Sartori, New York University
Akshya Saxena, (JNU 2008), University of Minnesota
Moumita Sen, (JNU 2009), University of Oslo
Ruchira Sen, (JNU 2012), University of Missouri-Kansas City
Aviroop Sengupta, (JNU 2014), Columbia University
Uditi Sen, (JNU 2004), Hampshire College
Sanjay Seth, Goldsmiths, University of London
Aradhana Anu Sharma, Wesleyan University
Partha Pratim Shil, (JNU 2008) Trinity College, Cambridge
Arushi Singh, (JNU 2014), University of California, Los Angeles
Rashmi Singh (JNU 2011), University of Cambridge
Aarti Sethi, (JNU 2009), Columbia University
Alpa Shah, London School of Economics and Political Science
Svati Shah, University of Massachusetts/JNU
Jayeeta Sharma, University of Toronto
Shalini Sharma, (JNU 1996), Keele University
Ajay Skaria, University of Minnesota
Samira Sheikh, (JNU 1994), Vanderbilt University
Benjamin Seigel, (Visiting Professor JNU 2007-8), Boston University
Marc Siegel, Goethe University, Frankfurt
Pritam Singh, (JNU 1976, Student Councillor JNU-SSS 1973), Oxford Brookes University
Manjira Sinha, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
Subir Sinha, SOAS University of London
Suvadip Sinha, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Tanvi Sirari, (JNU 2012), University of British Columbia
Jonathan Spencer, University of Edinburgh
Alex Steele, University of Minnesota
Abha Sur, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Columbia University
Kannan Srinivasan, Wertheim Study New York Public Library
Ravindran Sriramachandran, Ashoka University
Priyanka Srivastava, (JNU 1995-2000) University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Ulrike Stark, The University of Chicago
Tony K. Stewart, Vanderbilt University
Andy Stirling, University of Sussex
Ajantha Subramanian, Harvard University
Narendra Subramanian, McGill University
Sanjay Subrahmanyam, University of California, Los Angeles
Meghant Sudan, Concordia University, Montreal
Sanjukta Sunderason, Leiden University
Deborah Sutton, (JNU 2001), Lancaster University
Ashwini Tambe, University of Maryland-College Park
Anand Vivek Taneja, Vanderbilt University
Akshaya Tankha, (JNU 2006), University of Toronto
Shabnum Tejani, SOAS, University of London
Kamal Kumar Tanti, University of Technology and Management, Shillong
Kuhu Tanvir, (JNU 2012), University of Pittsburgh
Rei Terada, University of California, Irvine
Shubha Tewari, University of Massachusetts
Sharika Thiranagama, Stanford University
Sudipa Topdar, (JNU 2002), Illinois State University
Saadia Toor, College of Staten Island, City University of New York
Nishita Trisal, University of Michigan
Lalit Vachani, University of Göttingen.
Nilita Vachani, New York University
Aparna Vaidik, (JNU 2005), Ashoka University
Anish Vanaik, (JNU 2008), Purdue University
Rashmi Varma, University of Warwick
Ramaa Vasudevan, (JNU 1986-88) Colorado State University
Rajesh Venogopal, London School of Economics
Kartik Verma, (JNU 2008), University of Utah
Vertika, (JNU 2014), McGill University, Montréal
Ramna Walia, (JNU 2011), University of Texas at Austin
Tyler Walker Williams, (JNU 2007), JNUSU Vice President 2006-2007, University of Chicago
Kalpana Wilson, London School of Economics and Political Science
Nicole Wolf, Goldsmiths, University of London
Niharika Yadav, Princeton University
Harshita Yalamarty, (JNU 2013), York University
Suvaid Yaseen, (JNU 2013), Brown University
Akhila Yechury, (JNU 2007), University of St. Andrews
John Zavos, (JNU 1988), University of Manchester
United House, 39-41 North Road, London, N7 9DP
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