As a sign of protest against the “throttling of dissent” at Jawaharlal Nehru University, economist Amit Bhaduri has given up his status as professor emeritus there. His move comes in the wake of attacks on students and teachers at the university.
In an open letter on Monday, Dr. Bhaduri said he had learnt with “increasing disgust” how Vice-Chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar’s handling of situations at JNU had “led to its steady deterioration paving the way for its intellectual disintegration”.
“It would be immoral on my part without registering my protest to remain a silent observer in this larger, sinister scheme of throttling dissent which is unfolding now at the University.”
Dr. Bhaduri, who joined the university as a young professor in 1973 and left in 2001, noted that he had witnessed many instances of student unrest and even a temporary shutdown of teaching during his tenure.
“What is different now is not only incompetence of handling of situations by the authorities, but a deliberate attempt to throttle the free, and lively atmosphere of debate and discussion for which JNU was known all over the country,” he wrote. “You seem determined on imprinting your administration’s narrow-minded world view, and shut all other windows of ideas to the students.”
Dr. Bhaduri noted that returning the honour bestowed on him was largely a symbolic act of protest as the administration had already evicted him from his room at the University.
“Along with some other emeritus professors, I have already been locked out several months ago from the room allotted to me in JNU (with books and some personal effects still in it),” he wrote.
