IIT Bombay Cancels Lecture on 'Crisis in Indian Education', Raises Concerns Over Academic Freedom
01 February 2024 | The Wire
New Delhi: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has cancelled a lecture by scholar Ganesh Devy, a cultural activist, literary critic, and former professor of English at Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda.
The cancellation of the lecture, originally scheduled for January 31, has raised concerns among students regarding the institute’s practice of calling off lectures.
Devy was invited by IIT Bombay authorities to deliver a talk titled ‘The crisis within: On Knowledge and Education in India’ as part of the ‘Institute Lecture’ series. Students and faculty were informed a month in advance about the scheduled talk.
However on January 30, the eve of the event, authorities notified students and faculty members that the lecture had been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. According to Hindustan Times, the committee responsible for regulating lectures at the IIT Bombay campus made the decision to call off the lecture.