After Lankan Supervisor Exit, PhD Scholar Quits SAU over Chomsky Row
Vidheesha Kuntamalla | 06 March 2025 | The Indian Express
A PhD scholar at South Asian University whose doctoral research proposal on Kashmir’s ethnography and politics had earned him a showcause notice from the institution and led to a disciplinary inquiry against his supervisor has left SAU citing personal reasons, The Indian Express has learnt. The research proposal had referenced American linguist Noam Chomsky’s criticism of the NDA government.
The PhD scholar’s exit comes within six months of his faculty supervisor Sasanka Perera quitting over the issue. Perera, a Sri Lankan anthropologist who taught at SAU for 13 years and helped found its Sociology department, had told The Indian Express last September that he decided to retire prematurely because he did not see any “semblance of justice” coming from an inquiry that was initiated “on trumped-up and irrational charges”. His last day on campus was July 31, 2024….