New Delhi: Over 300 academics, from India and abroad have issued a statement against the recent backlash against Sabyasachi Das, who was ‘forced’ to resign from Ashoka University after a paper he authored, on possible manipulation in the 2019 elections, drew the ire of BJP leaders and their supporters.
Ashoka University has been criticised for its handling of the situation, as the varsity had publicly distanced itself from Das’s paper after the political backlash.
Read the academics’ full statement and list of signatories below.
We, the undersigned members of the academic fraternity, strongly condemn the forced ‘resignation’ of Sabyasachi Das, Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics, Ashoka University. Das’s paper ‘Democratic Backsliding in the World’s Largest Democracy’ which analysed the probability of electoral manipulation by the BJP in the 2019 elections came under significant flak from the party. The University issued a statement dissociating itself from the research. Following this, from what has emerged in the public domain, the Governing Body decided to ‘evaluate’ the ‘merit’ of his paper. Dr Das subsequently resigned. It is clear from this sequence of events that what was at stake was not the academic merit of his paper, but the threat it posed to the ruling party. There has been no detailed academic counter to this paper, only ad hominem attacks in the public.
Professor Pulapre Balakrishnan of the Economics department subsequently resigned from Ashoka University in solidarity, student organisations have issued strong statements in support of Dr Das, the Economics department, followed by several other departments have also strongly criticized the university’s actions, and asked for the reinstatement of Dr Das, failing which they will be unable to carry on their teaching obligations. Over 80 faculty members have signed a separate statement asking for a charter on academic freedom created in 2021 to be implemented, including a committee on academic freedom.
By backsliding on Dr Das’s academic freedom because the topic he chose to study was inconvenient to one political party, the university violates several principles of academic freedom. This episode also shows that private universities do not, despite all their claims to the contrary, serve as bulwarks of liberal thought. The fact of the matter is that the government is applying equal pressure on both private and public universities /institutions. Ashoka, by caving in to the pressure is falling short of its own declared vision.
We welcome the strong resistance by members of Ashoka University’s student body, faculty and alumni and joins them in asking for the immediate reinstatement of Dr Das and concrete steps to ensure academic freedom in Ashoka University. We hope that the Ashoka University imbroglio shall form the basis of a wide ranging discussion, encompassing both private and public institutions, about the necessity of a charter that protects academic freedom in India.
Endorsed by:
1. A.J.C Bose, Professor, Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi.
2. Aarti Sethi, Assistant Professor, University of California, Berkeley.
3. Aarushi Singh, student, South Asian University, New Delhi.
4. Aashita Dawer, Associate Professor, O.P. Jindal Global University.
5. Abha Dev Habib, Associate Professor, Miranda House, University of Delhi.
6. Abhijit Roy, Professor, Jadavpur University.
7. Abhijit Sadhukhan, Assistant Professor, Kazi Nazrul University, Asansol.
8. Abhilasha Kumari, retired academic.
9. Abhinandan Sarkar, research scholar, Jadavpur University.
10. Aditi Ghosh, Professor, University of Calcutta.
11. Aditya Nigam, former Professor and independent researcher.
12. Aishwarya Kothare, student, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
13. Aiswarya T, student, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru.
14. Ajahar Alam, student, Jadavpur University.
15. Ajay Rath, retired bank executive (‘Needs huge protest by academia and the
general public’)
16. Ajith Kanna, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University (‘If there is no freedom to
think differently then the very act of thinking is meaningless’)
17. Alia Zaman, Assistant Professor, University of Delhi.
18. Aman Mani Tripathi, student, South Asian University, New Delhi.
19. Ambar Ahmad, Associate Professor, Kamala Nehru College, University of Delhi.
20. Ameet Parameswaran, Assistant Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
21. Amit Roy, Associate Professor, Ghatal R S Mahavidyalaya.
22. Amita sheereen, independent researcher, Umang democratic school. (‘Wrongs of
our times should be condemned’)
23. Ananyo Chakraborty, student, University of Delhi.
24. Angelie Multani, Professor, IIT Delhi.
25. Aniket Alam, Associate Professor, International Institute of Information
Technology Hyderabad.
26. Aniket Basu, Assistant Professor, Vidyasagar College, Kolkata
27. Anindya “Rana” Sinha Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore.
28. Anita Rampal, former Professor, University of Delhi.
29. Anjali Bhatia, Associate Professor, Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi.
30. Anjali Verma, Assistant Professor, Himachal Pradesh University Shimla. (‘Free
research, free ideas, progressive society’)
31. Ansh, student, Ashoka University.
32. Antara Datta, Associate Professor, Janki Devi Memorial College, University of
Delhi.
33. Anu Chenoy, former Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
34. Anuradha Gulati Dasgupta, Assistant Professor, University of Delhi.
35. Aparajay, scientist, MSSRF, Chennai.
36. Aparna Sundar, independent researcher.
37. Apoorvanand, Professor, University of Delhi.
38. Arasi, Assistant Professor, Madras University.
39. Archana Kaul, Secretary, Srijnatmak Manushi Sanstha.
40. Arudra Burra, Assistant Professor, IIT Delhi.
41. Arunabha Adhikari, Associate Professor, West Bengal State University.
42. Asha Hans, former Professor, Utkal University.
43. Asha Puri, former Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
44. Ashish Rajadhyaksha, independent researcher.
45. Askari Zaidi, journalist.
46. Atul Sood, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
47. Ayaz Ahmed, student, IIT Bombay.
48. Ayesha Kidwai, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
49. Baishakh Chakrabarti, Postdoctoral Fellow, CSH.
50. Balbir Singh Butola, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University. (‘Academic freedom
to teachers is non-negotiable in a democracy’)
51. Balveer Arora, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
52. Bappaditya Mukhopadhyay, Professor, Great Lakes Institute of Management.
53. Bharati, former Associate Professor, University of Delhi.
54. Bharati jagannathan, Associate Professor, Miranda House, University of Delhi.
55. Bidhan Aryal, student, South Asian University, New Delhi.
56. Bina Agarwal, Professor, economist.
57. Bishnupriya Dutt, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
58. Biswajit Mondal, student, University of Calcutta.
59. C P Chandrasekhar, former Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
60. C. Saratchand, Professor, Satyawati College, University of Delhi.
61. Carol Upadhya, Visiting Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies,
Bengaluru.
62. Chandrabhan P. Yadav, Assistant Professor, NLSIU.
63. Charu Singh, Assistant Professor, Ahmedabad University.
64. Chirashree Das Gupta, Associate Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
65. Chitra harshvardhan, former Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
66. Christophe Jaffrelot, Professor, King’s College London.
67. Dawa Sherpa, student, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
68. Debabrata, Assistant Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
69. Debaditya Bhattacharya, Assistant Professor, Kazi Nazrul University Asansol.
70. Debashis Ghoshal, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
71. Debjani Sengupta, Associate Professor, Indraprastha College, University of Delhi.
72. Deepak Malghan, Associate Professor, IIM Bangalore.
73. Deepika Tandon, Associate Professor, Miranda House, University of Delhi.
74. Deshdeep Dhankhar, researcher, Centre de Sciences Humaines.
75. Dev Desai, social activist, ANHAD.
76. Dev Kumar Jhanjh, Assistant Professor, Azim Premji University.
77. Devi, Professor, IIM Calcutta.
78. Dhriti Sarkar, student, Jadavpur University
79. Dilip M Menon, Professor, University of Witwatersrand.
80. Dipa Sinha, Assistant Professor, Ambedkar University Delhi.
81. Dipak Prakash, Assistant Professor, ARSD College, University of Delhi. (‘Academic
freedom is sine qua non for academic excellence. If research is done on a topic, which goes against someone, it should not be humiliated or witch hunted. Rather, if you don’t agree, write a counter of it. No one stops you.’)
82. Dipanjan Chakraborty, Assistant Professor, BITS Pilani, Hyderabad
83. Doyeeta Majumder, Assistant Professor, Jadavpur University
84. Abir Lal Mazumder, Guest Lecturer, University of Hyderabad,
85. Ishtiaq Hussain, Assistant Professor, Aliah University. (‘The voices likes of Professor Das won’t be suppressed. Truth will prevail. In solidarity with Truth and Prof Das’)
86. Ismail Vengasseri, Assistant Professor, University of Delhi.
87. Ivy Kundu, Associate Professor, Barasat Government College, Barasat, Kolkata. (‘I strongly support the need of academic freedom of teachers’)
88. P A Azeez, Visiting Faculty.
89. Sreemoyee Tarafder, Assistant Professor, West Bengal State University.
90. Valatheeswaran, Assistant Professor, Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
91. Abu Saleh, Assistant Professor, Raja Peary Mohan College.
92. Asha, former Associate Professor, Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi. (‘Academic freedom is the soul of an institution and must be protected’)
93. BR Alamelu, Associate Professor, Indraprastha College, University of Delhi.
94. Chumki Majumder, Associate Professor, Rammohan College.
95. Maumita Bandyopadhyay, Assistant Professor, University of Calcutta.
96. Vandita Gautam, Associate Professor, Motilal Nehru College, University of Delhi.
97. Vandna Mathur, Associate Professor, Deshbandhu College University of Delhi.
98. Shivani Gupta, SACT Teacher, Lalbaba college Howrah.
99. Dunu Roy, independent researcher, Hazards Centre.
100. Durba Chattaraj, Lecturer, Princeton University.
101. Dvijendra Nath Kalia, former Associate Professor, PGDAV College, University of Delhi.
102. Frazer Mascarenhas, former Principal, St. Xavier’s College. (‘There is no democracy without academic freedom’)
103. Gaurav Datt, Associate Professor, Monash University.
104. Gaurav Mittal, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Toronto.
105. Gautam Gangopadhyay, Professor, University of Calcutta.
106. Ghanshyam Shah, independent researcher, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
107. Gulshan Dietl, former Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
108. Habravysh Natta, student, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
109. Harbans Mukhia, former Professor and Rector, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
110. Harpreet Kaur, independent researcher.
111. Hilal Trivedi, student, O.P. Jindal Global University.
112. Himanshu Himanshu, Associate Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
113. Hoimi Mukherjee, student, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
114. I endorse, Associate Professor, University of Calcutta.
115. Imraan Valodia, Professor, University of the Witwatersrand.
116. Ira Raja, Professor, University of Delhi.
117. Janaki Srinivasan, Assistant Professor, Panjab University.
118. Jawhar Sircar, Member of Parliament, Ex Culture Secretary of India & ex
Chairman, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta.
119. Jayati Ghosh, Professor, University of Massachusetts Amherst.
120. Jean Dreze, Visiting Professor, Ranchi University.
121. Jojo P Guhathakurta, retired.
122. Juhi Tyagi, Assistant Professor, Azim Premji University.
123. Jyoti Sabharwal, Professor, University of Delhi.
124. K Sridhar, Professor, Azim Premji University.
125. K. M. Shrimali, former Professor, University of Delhi. ‘Pathetic state of affairs in
Indian universities, both private and state’)
126. K. Thirunavukkarasu, independent researcher, independent researcher.
127. Kaberi Mondal, student, Jadavpur University.
128. Karen Gabriel, Associate Professor, St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi. (‘It is astonishing that the GB of the University is reviewing the merit of the paper. They should confine themselves to managing the place as a University rather than as an affiliate of the BJP’)
129. Karkada Nagaraj, Adjunct faculty, Asian College of Journalism, Chennai.
130. Karuna DW, Assistant Professor, Azim Premji University. (‘Endorsed in personal capacity’)
131. Kham Khan Suan Hausing, Professor, University of Hyderabad.
132. Kiran Bhatty, independent researcher, Centre for Policy Research and Centre de Science Humaines.
133. Koushiki, student, Ahmedabad University.
134. Kuljeet Singh, independent researcher, University of Delhi.
135. Kumkum Bhattacharya, former Professor, Visva Bharati University.
136. Kumkum Roy, former Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
137. Lata Singh, Associate Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
138. Laurence Gautier, researcher, CSH.
139. Lolita Roy, former school teacher.
140. Lotika Singha InSAF India (International Solidarity for Academic Freedom in India)
141. Lovish Gautam, student, University of Delhi.
142. Madan Gopal Singh, former teacher, Satyawati College, University of Delhi.
143. Madhu Sahni, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
144. Maidul Islam, Assistant Professor, CSSSC.
145. Malathi, independent researcher, University of Delhi.
146. Malavika Kasturi, Associate Professor, University of Toronto.
147. Manas Maity, Professor, Visva Bharati University. (‘Resistance is the only path.)
148. Manik Gupta, student, Law Faculty University of Delhi.
149. Manika Bora, Assistant Professor, O. P. Jindal Global University
150. Manoranjan Mohanty, former Professor, University of Delhi.
151. Maroona Murmu, Professor, Jadavpur University.
152. Mary Ann Dasgupta, education consultant, retired, (‘Demand immediate reinstatement of Dr. Das and academic freedom at all private and public institutions of higher education’)
153. Mary E John, former Professor.
154. Maya John, Assistant Professor, University of Delhi.
155. Meena Dhanda, Professor, University of Wolverhampton.
156. Meena Gupta, Associate Professor, University of Delhi.
157. Minati Dash, Associate Professor, O.P. Jindal Global University.
158. Mohan Rao, former Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
159. Mohan Paul Singh Ishar, former Vice Chancellor, Jammu University. (‘Curtailing
of academic freedom is begining of fascism’)
160. Mohinder Singh, Assistant Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
161. Mridula Mukherjee, former Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
162. Mrinal Kanti Das, Professor, Indian Statistical Institute. (‘Views entirety personal. Endorsed as an independent citizen’)
163. Mukul Priyadarshini, Associate Professor, Miranda House, University of Delhi.
164. Nalini Taneja, former Associate Professor, University of Delhi.
165. Nandini Deo, Associate Professor, Lehigh University.
166. Nandini Sundar, Professor, University of Delhi.
167. Nandita Narain, Associate Professor, St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi.
168. Nandita Roy, Assistant Professor, IIM Calcutta.
169. Naveen Gaur, Associate Professor, Dyal Singh College, University of Delhi.
170. Navoneel Ray, student, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
171. Neera Kongari, former Associate Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
172. Nilanjan Bondyopadhaya, Assistant Professor, Visva Bharati University.
173. Nilanjan Gupta, student, Jadavpur University. (‘I am in support of Prof. Das and his research theme, as this shouldn’t be interfered at all by the University authority. Interference of such kind might lead to constriction of critical thinking and analyses. Democracy inhibits and nurtures healthy debates and critical thinking. But the situation prevailing since the last decade has hampered such free thinking and which in the larger scope of academia might lead to students thinking whether to take on research themes which might annoy vested interests. Professors, students and researchers should be free to think and challenge policies and ideologies which might go against the political
mainstream’)
174. Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, independent researcher.
175. Nilanjana Patra, student, Jadavpur University.
176. Niraja Gopal Jayal, former Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
177. Nivedita Menon, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
178. Nupur Dasgupta, Professor, Jadavpur University.
179. Odile Henry, Professor, Paris 8 University (France).
180. Pamela Philipose, journalist, The Wire in.
181. Pankaj Jha, Associate Professor, University of Delhi.
182. Parnal Chirmuley, Associate Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
183. Partha Pratim Shil, Assistant Professor, Stanford University.
184. Paul Thomas, Project Associate, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru.
185. Poonam Kanwal, Associate Professor, University of Delhi.
186. Pradipta Bandyopadhyay, academic.
187. Pragya Gupta, Associate Professor, Gargi.
188. Prajval Shastri, former Professor, astrophysicist.
189. Prakash Kashwan, Associate Professor, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA.
190. Prateek Vijayavargia, student, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
191. Pratiksha Baxi, Associate Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
192. Preeti Dewan, Associate Professor, Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi.
193. Prem Kumar Vijayan, Associate Professor, Hindu College, University of Delhi. (‘It is ridiculous that the Governing Body of Ashoka University, by stating that it will review Dr Das’ paper, should consider itself capable of determining such academic merits. As an administrative body, it should confine itself to ensuring that it lives up to its own vision statement’)
194. Priyanka Sarma, student, IIT Guwahati.
195. Prof Rajbir Singh, Professor, IGIPESS, New Delhi
196. Prof Amarendra Sahoo, Professor, MIT.
197. Prof. J. P. Shrivastava, former Professor, University of Delhi.
198. Professor Alpa Shah, Professor, London School of Economics.
199. R Srinivasan, former Professor, IIM Bangalore,
200. R. Ramakumar, Professor, TISS, Mumbai.
201. Radha Mohan, Associate Professor, University of Delhi.
202. Radhika Chadha, Associate Professor, Miranda House, University of Delhi.
203. Radhika singha, former Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
204. Rahul Govind, Associate Professor, University of Delhi. (‘This incident also reveals the specific institutional elements of private universities that give non- academic corporate elements the power to censor academic research, operating possibly with the compliance of certain academics in institutional positions. Solidarity with the courage and integrity of Das and Balakrishnan, and all the students and teachers who have risen in support.)
205. Rahul Nigam, Associate Professor, BITS Pilani, Hyderabad
206. Rahul Roy, Professor, Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi.
207. Rajan Kurai Krishnan, Associate Professor, Ambedkar University Delhi.
208. Rajendran Narayanan, Assistant Professor, Azim Premji University.
209. Rajesh kumar, Associate Professor, Hindu College, University of Delhi.
210. Rajiv Jha, Associate Professor, Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi.
211. Rajive Tiwari, Professor, Belmont Abbey College.
212. Rajkishor Meher, former Professor, Nabakrushna Choudhury Centre for Development Studies, Odisha. (‘Academic freedom and eclectic approach to social science research ought to be preserved at any cost’)
213. Rajni Palriwala, former Professor, University of Delhi.
214. Rajshree Chandra, Professor, University of Delhi.
215. Rakesh Mohan Chaturvedi, journalist, The Economic Times newspaper. (‘This is
an attack on honest research-based scholarship and freedom of expression’)
216. Ram Ramaswamy, independent researcher, IIT Delhi.
217. Rama V. Baru, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University
218. Ramesh Dixit, former Professor, Lucknow University. (‘Restrictions on academic freedom should not be accepted’)
219. Rameshwar Prasad Bahuguna, former Professor, Jamia Millia Islamia.
220. Ranabir Chakravarti, former Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
221. Ranjan Swarnakar, Assistant Professor, ARSD College, University of Delhi.
222. Ranjani Mazumdar, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
223. Ranjani Ramachandran, Assistant Professor, Visva Bharati University.
224. Rashi, student, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
225. Ratan Lal, Associate Professor, Hindu College, University of Delhi.
226. Ratna. Raman, Professor, Sri Venkateswara college. (‘This attack on the freedom to present evidence in support of one’ s viewpoint is unacceptable. The right to provide a perspective as a social scientist is an important public facing
responsibility and it is preposterous that this should be denied to any teacher’)
227. Ravi Sundaram, Professor, CSDS Delhi.
228. Rekha Awasthi, Associate Professor, University of Delhi.
229. Renu Bala, Associate Professor, University of Delhi.
230. Riddhi Shah, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
231. Riju Debnath, student, Presidency University.
232. Rina Kashyap, Associate Professor, Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi.
233. Ritty Lukose, Associate Professor, New York University.
234. Rohan, student, University of Oxford.
235. Rohan D’Souza, Professor, Kyoto University.
236. Rohit Azad, Assistant Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
237. Rohit James Joseph, student, Ashoka University.
238. Rohit Prasad, Professor, MSI Gurgaon. (‘Have gone through paper. It’s a serious piece of work uploaded on ssrn, most likely in advance of submission to journala. The university should let the process of submission and review take its course’)
239. Roumyana Pancheva, Professor, University of California, )Santa Cruz
240. Rudi, independent researcher, St. mary’s high schoo;,
241. Sachin N, Associate Professor, Dyal Singh College, University of Delhi
242. Sahil, Assistant Professor, RV University
243. Sahil Sasidharan, student, University of Wisconsin-Madison,
244. Sain Shaikh, Assistant Professor, Aliah University
245. Sanatan Chattopadhyay, Professor, University of Calcutta,
246. Sangeeta Pratap, Professor, City University of New York,
247. Sanghamitra Misra, Professor, University of Delhi. (‘That these most unfortunate resignations of Das and Balakrishnan are preceded by at least three earlier faculty resignations is surely an indication of a problem inherent to the very structure of Ashoka University wherein Founders and Donors officiate as members of the Governing Body’)
248. Sanjay Barbora, Professor, TISS, Guwahati.
249. Santi Ranjan Dey, Assistant Professor, Rammohan College. (‘Freedom of thought
should not be violated’)
250. Sarada Natarajan, Associate Professor, Azim Premji University.
251. Satish Deshpande, former Professor, University of Delhi.
252. Satish Misra, independent researcher.
253. Satyaki Roy, Associate Professor, ISID, New Delhi.
254. Sayan Dey, Assistant Professor, Alliance University, Bangalore.
255. Sayandeb Chowdhury, Assistant Professor, Krea University.
256. Shadab Bano, Professor, Aligarh Muslim University. (‘University cannot exist without academic freedom’)
257. Shalini Srinivasan, Assistant Professor, Azim Premji University.
258. Shampa Roy, Associate Professor, Miranda House, University of Delhi.
259. Sharachchandra Lele, Professor, ATREE, SNU and IISER Pune.
260. Sharmadip Basu, Associate Professor, Azim Premji University.
261. Shashank SR, research scholar, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore.
262. Shashi Khurana, academic consultant/activist, UWAD.
263. Shatarupa Bhattacharya, Assistant Professor, University of Delhi.
264. Sheuli Chowdhury, Associate Professor, University of Delhi.
265. Shipra Nigam, independent researcher.
266. Shivali Tukdeo, Professor, Mahindra University.
267. Shreekant Gupta, Professor, University of Delhi. (‘Standing in solidarity with Dr. Das and the faculty of Ashoka University’)
268. Shreya, student, South Asian University, New Delhi
269. Shreya, student, University of Delhi. (‘Salute to your struggle! We are with you’)
270. Shukla Sawant, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University. (‘Without critical
thinking, the future is a dead end’)
271. Simona Sawhney, Professor, IIT Delhi.
272. Simran Chadha, Associate Professor, University of Delhi.
273. Sipoy Sarveswar, Assistant Professor, Visva Bharati University. (‘In complete solidarity with the faculty of Ashoka University and unconditional academic freedom’)
274. Smita Sahgal, Professor, Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi. (‘Academic
freedom is essential for the survival of any university’)
275. Sneha Ganguly, Guest Faculty, Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi.
276. Snigdha Singh, Associate Professor, Miranda House, University of Delhi.
277. Sohomjit Ray, Associate Professor, College of Staten Island-CUNY.
278. Sourajyoti Pal, student, IISc Bangalore.
279. Sourav Bhattacharya, Professor, IIM Calcutta.
280. Sourya M., student, Jawaharlal Nehru University
281. Srabani Chakraborty, independent researcher, Tricontinental Pvt Limited.
282. Srimanjari, Associate Professor, Miranda House, University of Delhi
283. Sripad Motiram, Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts Boston. (‘Academic freedom is of vital importance to India or any other country. Ashoka University has not upheld it’)
284. Srirupa Roy, Professor, University of Göttingen.
285. Sruti Bala, Associate Professor, University of Amsterdam.
286. Stéphanie Tawa Lama, Professor, CNRS-EHESS.
287. Subrata Bishal, student, Visva Bharati University
288. Subroto Dey, student, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore. (‘We should not take it lying down any more!’)
289. Sucharita Sen, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University
290. Sucheta Mahajan, former Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University
291. Suchetana Chattopadhyay, Professor, Jadavpur University
292. Sudeshna Banerjee, Associate Professor, Jadavpur University
293. Sudhir Chella Rajan, Professor, IIT Madras, (‘An academic intervention is a statement that asks questions. Once universities begin to stifle thought itself by appearing to be bullying their own young scholars, they cease to function as such. They thereby violate the philosophical tradition of both Yajnavalkya and Socrates’)
294. Sudipta Bhattacharyya, Professor, Visva-Bharati.
295. Sukanta Bhattacharya, Associate Professor, University of Calcutta.
296. Sukla Sen, independent researcher, Life Fellow, Indian Social Science Academy. (‘The subject paper and also the university concerned have come under vicious attack from those belonging to India’s ruling party. Charges of defaming the country have been hurled. Threat of cancelling the accreditation of the University made. Of a piece with the larger drive to wipe out space for all democratic dissents. Calls for courageous and determined resistance.’)
297. Sunil Mukhi, Professor, IISER Pune.
298. Surabhi Ranganathan, Professor, University of Cambridge.
299. Suratna Ganguly, Associate Professor, Rammohan College.
300. Surinder S. Jodhka, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
301. Suvasini, Associate Professor, Miranda House, University of Delhi.
302. Swagata Biswas, Associate Professor, University of Calcutta.
303. Swarna Biseria Gupta, Professor, MIMS, Bhopal. (‘Education, should not be
influenced by religion, politics and crime. It may be free of all the provocations’)
304. T M Thomas, Associate Professor, University of Delhi.
305. T Toll, Assistant Professor, IIT Delhi.
306. Tapati Guha Thakurta, Professor, CSSSC.
307. Tarakdas Basu, Professor, University of Kalyani (‘Strongly condemn the role of Ashoka University Administration attacking the academic freedom of expression’)
308. Taskeen Nazir, independent researcher.
309. Tathagatha Choudhuri, Professor, Visva Bharati University.
310. Udaya Kumar, former Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
311. Ujjwal Kumar Singh, Professor, University of Delhi.
312. Uma Dasgupta, independent researcher.
313. Umi Lepcha, research scholar, Jadavpur University.
314. Utsa Ray, Assistant Professor, Jadavpur University.
315. Vageesh Vishnoi, student, IIT Delhi.
316. Vasundhara Jairath, Assistant Professor, IIT Guwahati.
317. Vibhuti NP, former Professor, TISS, Mumbai.
318. Vijaya Venkataraman, Professor, University of Delhi.
319. Vijayashree CS, student, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore.
320. Vikramaditya Mishra, student, IISc Bangalore.
321. Vinay, student, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. (‘Full solidarity with Ashoka faculty and student’s organisations who are attempting to resist this malfeasant attack on academic freedom. Standard practice in economics and quantitatively oriented work in social sciences is to publish/present findings in the open-source domain before peer review. Instead of encouraging a more rigorous academic debate and discussion on the evidence presented and implications of the paper, a brilliant and courageous young academic has been forced to resign (again!). To constantly backslide in the face of fear of blowback from the political party in power is tantamount to backsliding on the entire educational project that has been branded and promoted so extensively by the consortium associated with Ashoka University.’)
322. Vinayak, independent researcher.
323. Vineeta Bal, Professor, IISER, Pune
324. Viraj Kafle, Associate Professor, Dyal Singh College, University of Delhi.
325. Y S Alone, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
326. Yash, student, IIT Bombay.
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