Criticism of Modi forbidden: University expels a student club
Chennai (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Indian Institute Technology Madras (IIT-M) in Chennai, one of India's leading engineering and technology universities, has expelled a student circle accusing it of "spreading hatred" against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Hindus.
A complaint anonymously received by the Ministry of Human Resource Development triggered the episode, which in turn initiated a formal investigation on the activities of the Ambedkar Periyar Student Circle (APSC), leading to the decision of the institute. The students have criticized the action of the university, terming it "unilateral and undemocratic". According to the students, the complaint came from radical Hindu right-wing groups.
The APSC is an independent circle, founded on April 14, 2014 by some students to discuss social, economic and political issues, examining them through the prism of the rights and aspirations of Dalits ("untouchables") and the lower classes.
The group is inspired by the ideology and writings of B.R. Ambedkar, one of the "founding fathers" of modern India, the creator of the Constitution, who fought to assert political rights and social freedom of "untouchables" like him.
The anonymous complaint accuses members of the Apsc of distributing pamphlets containing statements criticizing Modi and his policies. The quotes were taken from a lecture by Professor R. Vivekandanda Gopal, at a conference on "Contemporary Relevance of dr. Ambedkar ", organized in early May by the circle.
The pamphlet cited parts of the paper where the rapporteur criticized the Modi government for its "pro-multinational "policies – such as the Land Acquisition Bill- and accused the government of wanting to "polarize people along religious lines ", by banning the consumption of beef and introducing ghar wapsi ("home coming") programs, which aim at the reconversion of Christians and Muslims to Hinduism.
Having received a copy of the anonymous complaint from the Ministry, on May 24 last, the dean of students Sivakumar M Srinivasan sent an abrupt email to the coordinators of the Apsc, informing them that the club had been "cancelled".
Justifying his decision, the man said: "There are certain procedures to be followed and, in this case, the APSC has violated the basic code of conduct. They exploited the privileges given to them. This action was inevitable. "
The students have replied: "We oppose the unilateral decision of the Dean of Students to cancel our study circle, without giving us a fair trial and the opportunity to have our say. We were told that our group is involved in 'controversial activities' and has breached the code of conduct. We want to be clear, we have not abused the privileges that the institution has granted us. "
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07/01/2020 09:36
