India’s Universities: Liberal in Label, Authoritarian at Heart
P John J Kennedy | 07 March 2025 | Deccan Herald
Recent student protests at a prominent private university near Delhi-sparked by the installation of scanners and metal detectors deemed intrusive-have reignited a crucial debate on the state of liberal education in India. While university administrations often justify such measures as necessary for safety and discipline, they risk fosterint mistrust and undermining the intellectual freedom central to liberal education. This incident raises broader questions about the authenticity of universities branding themselves as "liberal" and their alignment with the true essence of liberal education-a philosophy that remains widely misunderstood in India, often reduced to a buzzword rather than embraced as a transformative ideal…