Econ Dept Says Ashoka Governing Body ‘Interference’ Forcing Scholars to ‘Operate in Environment of Fear’
16 August 2023 | The Wire
Ashoka University. Photo: ashoka.edu.in
New Delhi: An open letter by the economics department of Ashoka University has accused the university’s governing body of reacting to a scholar’s recent research paper in a manner that “constitutes institutional harassment, curtails academic freedom, and forces scholars to operate in an environment of fear”.
The matter pertains to a paper by Sabyasachi Das, who resigned following the university’s public disassociation from his work in the wake of the political controversy triggered by his findings on ‘manipulation’ in the 2019 general election.
Following his resignation, a second professor in the economics department, Pulapre Balakrishnan, also put in his papers in solidarity.
The statement, issued in the name of the entire department and posted on X (Twitter) by Professor Ashwini Deshpande on August 16, publicly makes two demands: that Das be immediately reinstated, and that the university’s governing body promise to not use a committee “or any other structure” to evaluate faculty research.