Row over Khalid’s book: ABVP protests outside IISER Pune, students criticise institute’s withdrawal

Pune: Thirteen students affiliated to ABVP on Tuesday staged a protest in front of the main gate of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune against the decision to include the book based on jailed activist and former JNU researcher Umar Khalid’s PhD thesis in its library.Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune had withdrawn the book, ‘Fractured Communities: Adivasi Histories and the Politics of Power’, after its inclusion in the Srinivasa Ramanujan Library triggered a social media controversy over the weekend.Some students of IISER, speaking on condition of anonymity, criticised the institute’s decision, saying it “should have defended the book on its merits. One of them said, “It was a failure on the institute’s part to withdraw a well-researched academic book on the basis of anonymous tweets, without doing due diligence, which should be the foundation of a science institute”.Released earlier this year, ‘Fractured Communities: Adivasi Histories and the Politics of Power’ examines the history of tribal societies Singhbhum (Jharkhand) and is based on Khalid’s PhD thesis at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Khalid has been lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail since 2020 as an undertrial prisoner in connection with a case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other provisions of law. He was recently named the Asia-Pacific recipient of the Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk.The institute had said the book was retracted “as a precaution in order to avoid any misunderstanding or unrest” after the matter was brought to the authorities’ attention. The controversy began after a photograph of the book displayed on the library’s digital board under the title ‘New Additions of Books’ was shared on ‘X’ by the handle @GemsofAcademia on Saturday night. The post was widely shared, with Madabhushi Madan Gopal, chairperson of the institute’s board of governors, responding through his personal ‘X’ account.“As in-charge chairperson, BoG, IISER Pune, I am shocked to know this. This is retracted last night and action is initiated on those who played this mischief. I assure such things will not happen again in IISER Pune. Prof. Sunil Bhagwat, Director, has taken immediate steps. We need to be alert,” he had written.“Banning of a research thesis-based book is wrong. Since there is nothing anti-national about the lives of Adivasis, why should IISER students not read about it as a part of their broader education? By bowing down to anonymous people on the internet, IISER Pune is setting a dangerous precedent. Science is based on reasoning, which means scientific institutes should defend the critical thinking in students. Why ban a book? Let students read and decide whether they like it or not,” an IISER student said.Another student questioned how a university of such high repute as IISER could introduce or ban anything based on social media trends. “When the book is not banned in India by govt, and is readily available in the open market, why should it be removed from a library?” she said.ABVP, however, questioned the relevance of adding a book authored by a person booked under UAPA. Radhey Bahegavankar, ABVP Pune city secretary, said the organisation’s main demands were an impartial investigation into the decision-making process of the IISER library committee, identification of those who approved the book and action against them.“We submitted our demands to IISER director Sunil Bhagwat. We want action against whoever is responsible for suggesting and approving the book,” said Bahegavankar.