Students Express Worry Over The 'loss Of Academic Freedom' When IIT-B Cancels A Seminar

A day after the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay cancelled Professor Achin Vanaik's proposed talk on the Israel-Palestine conflict, students from the Humanities and Social Science (HSS) department wrote to the Head of the Department (HOD) to express their concerns about the department's recent loss of academic freedom.

The letter, signed by almost 50 students, claimed, "To restrict us from inviting academicians to the department or to allow the administration to intimidate us by recording our events is tantamount to destroying our academic freedom."

In the letter, the students stated that their study includes questioning government policy decisions, and that "we talk on the nuances of Indian society like caste, class, and gender that still need to be understood, as well as work regarding international relations." What appears to many in the institute as 'politicising' may really be a component of our research and academic practises. However, we have lately seen speeches and conferences cancelled at the last minute because they were reportedly not 'academic'. The use of department spaces has been restricted, even for book presentations, film screenings, and seminars on history, sociology, literature, or philosophy that may be considered critical of the government."