The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) unrest has caught international attention, especially in the UK universities who have issued a statement condemning the presence of police on campus and harassment of students on the basis of their political beliefs.
Departments in universities as popular and renowned as Cambridge, Oxford, London School of Economics, and King's College have signed the statement, urging the Vice Chancellor of JNU to protect members of the university community and the freedom of expression and democratic dissent.
The issued statement suggests, “Institutes and centres with dedicated faculty members engaged in teaching and research on India and South Asia in universities in the U.K. are watching with increasing concern the events that are unfolding at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, including the detention and suspension of students.
“We see the police action on the JNU campus on February 12 2016 as a direct attack on JNU’s internationally renowned tradition of critical thinking, dissent, scholarship, and debate. We stand beside the international scholars who have signed the 15 February 2016 statement in solidarity (http://kafila.org) with the students, faculty and staff of JNU. We condemn the presence of police on campus and the harassment of students on the basis of their political beliefs. We also note that the recent events at JNU are a further demonstration of the fact that universities have a duty of care to protect their students, following on from the tragic suicide of Rohith Vemula at the University of Hyderabad.
“An open, tolerant, and democratic society is inextricably linked to the freedoms of thought and expression cultivated by universities in India and abroad. We have long valued JNU for its critical imagination and critical scholarship, which have been nurtured by the plurality of political beliefs and activism on its campus. We urge the Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University to protect members of the university community and the freedom of expression and democratic dissent which is a hallmark of JNU’s history and reputation globally.
The list of the UK universities and their respective departments to have issued this statement in the UK are:
-South Asia Institute, SOAS University of London
- Centre for South Asian Studies, University of Edinburgh
- King's India Institute, King’s College London
- Gender Institute, London School of Economics
- Institute of Asia and Pacific Studies, University of Nottingham
- Contemporary South Asian Studies Programme, School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies (SIAS), University of Oxford
- Centre for South Asian Studies, University of Cambridge
- School of International Development, University of East Anglia
These UK universities have over the decades worked very closely with JNU and have given admission to many of JNU's bright students.
