Ivys To IITs: Academic tolerance of diverse opinions on hot button issues is under threat. That’s a terrible thing
17 November 2023 | TOI Editorial
The extent to which the current Israel-Hamas war is testing universities’ commitment to freedom of expression has been startling, especially in the US. Given how long this conflict has been heatedly debated on campuses, passionate voices holding opposing positions were expected to find ways to continue to coexist. Instead, student groups are being suspended and calls for firing faculty are growing loud, simply for their speech acts. This ‘cancel culture’ is making its way to Indian shores as well. IIT Bombay has followed up controversy over a guest lecture and a documentary about the Palestine situation, with draconian guidelines on future events. When even elite institutions succumb to prohibitions so easily, it speaks very poorly for the prospects of free inquiry that should, in fact, thrive in the scholarly ecosystem.