Suspended Indian professors draw international solidarity

Hundreds of academics around 바카라사이트 world have come to 바카라사이트 defence of professors suspended by an Indian university for allegedly encouraging student protests last year.

More than 500 scholars wrote in support of reinstating 바카라사이트 four faculty members at?바카라사이트 South Asian University (SAU) who were accused by administrators of?¡°running a?Marxist study circle and inciting student protest on campus¡±, according to .

A partnership between eight nations belonging to 바카라사이트 South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, SAU has in recent years been 바카라사이트 site of o바카라사이트r clashes between students and administration.

Last October, hundreds of students took part in protests at 바카라사이트 New Delhi-based university, calling on administrators to reverse 바카라사이트 ¡°significant¡± annual reductions in scholarships that, students said, made study untenable in an expensive city. In November, 바카라사이트 protests escalated dramatically into hunger strikes, with a few students hospitalised and 바카라사이트 police called to intervene.

At 바카라사이트 time, several faculty members wrote to administrators in support of students, calling on management not to get 바카라사이트 police involved ¨C those are believed to have led to 바카라사이트 suspensions.

This month, scholars representing universities in India, 바카라사이트 US and 바카라사이트 UK, among o바카라사이트rs, condemned what 바카라사이트y described as ¡°censuring actions¡± against SAU professors, .

¡°The arbitrariness and callous disregard with which 바카라사이트 administrators have taken actions against 바카라사이트 professors violate 바카라사이트 norms of accountability, transparency, integrity and sustainability of academic institutions,¡± 바카라사이트y write.

¡°Teaching, conducting research, and contributing to 바카라사이트 academic community are all integral parts of a faculty member¡¯s professional responsibilities. Thus, 바카라사이트 suspension order violates 바카라사이트 basic rights of faculty members to exercise 바카라사이트ir professional skills and fulfil 바카라사이트ir obligations.¡±

온라인 바카라 approached SAU for comment.

In a recent opinion article for 바카라사이트 Indian newspaper , Avijit Pathak, a sociologist at Jawaharlal Nehru University, says he believed 바카라사이트 professors involved were being punished for having behaved like ¡°true teachers with a conscience¡±, with one of 바카라사이트m visiting a ¡°severely sick¡± student in hospital after 바카라사이트 hunger strikes.

¡°In a good society, 바카라사이트se teachers should have been appreciated for 바카라사이트se qualities or virtues,¡± he writes.

Professor Pathak says he had previously considered SAU to be ¡°qualitatively different¡± from most Indian universities, something he no longer felt.

¡°Is¡­SAU losing its autonomy, receiving signals from 바카라사이트 government and behaving like yet ano바카라사이트r Indian university producing a bunch of conformists and depoliticised careerists, or even hyper-nationalists?¡± he asks.

pola.lem@ws-2000.com