Intelligence Bureau at Ashoka University, Wants to Probe ‘Democratic Backsliding’ Paper
Siddharth Varadarajan | 22 August 2023 | The Wire
Photo: Facebook/Ashoka University.
In a development with ominous implications for academic freedom in India, the Intelligence Bureau has begun looking into the scholarly paper by a former Ashoka University professor on ‘Democratic Backsliding in the World’s Largest Democracy’ and is seeking to interview the author and faculty members of the economics department on the subject. The Wire has confirmed this development from multiple sources.
IB officials visited the private university on Monday armed with newspaper cuttings seeking to meet the author of the paper, Sabyasachi Das, who is currently in Pune. A suggestion that other members of the faculty meet with them to discuss the contents of the paper found no takers as the officials refused to convey their request for information in writing. They then left after saying they would return to the campus again on Tuesday.