Where the mind is with fear
Ummar Jamal | 05 October 2023 | The Telegraph
The dismissal of Karan Sangwan, a tutor affiliated with Unacademy’s digital learning platform, ignited discussions on the scope of academic independence in Indian educational institutions. His termination followed his advice to students, urging them to support educated leaders through their votes while critiquing legislative proposals related to India’s criminal justice system.
Two professors at Ashoka University also resigned recently, citing threats to academic freedom. Shortly after Sabyasachi Das, an assistant professor, resigned due to the controversy over his research paper titled “Democratic Backsliding in the World’s Largest Democracy”, Pulapre Balakrishnan, another economics professor, quit in solidarity. The departments of political science, sociology, and anthropology issued statements condemning the university’s intervention in assessing Das’s research and demanded his reinstatement. These departments also emphasised the violations of academic freedom and called for an apology from the governing body.