Govt threat to academic, intellectual freedom: report flags India's academic erosion

India has found itself relegated to the “severely restricted” category as far as academic freedom in the country is concerned, for the government's encroachment spans from the suspension of professors to the banning of books; consequently, the nation is ranked alongside Hong Kong, Indonesia, Pakistan, the West Bank, and Ukraine, while the Central government allegedly uses the UGC to influence higher education, according to the “Free to Think 2026” report published by Scholars at Risk (SAR).

The report, which examined attacks on higher education communities across 59 countries and territories, documented 382 such attacks between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026, and attributed the global decline in academic freedom to both violent repression and government interference in university autonomy.

The report stated that the ruling BJP government continued to use the UGC as a “primary vehicle for state influence” over higher education, and introduced policies concerning the appointment of vice-chancellors and the 10 per cent cap on non-permanent faculty, which have been viewed as measures through which the state could exert greater influence over higher education and academic freedom.

Data from the Academic Freedom Index cited in the report showed India’s score falling from 0.38 in 2022 to 0.14 in 2025.

The Supreme Court intervention into the reference to “corruption in the judiciary” in an NCERT social science textbook, over which it expressed apprehension that it could project a “negative image” of the judicial institution, has been documented in the report, with SAR describing the action as a “life ban” on three academics from receiving public funding for curriculum development after their work on the NCERT textbook.

Another incident highlighted in the report was an alleged curb on the intellectual freedom of academics by banning the sale, distribution, and possession of 25 books by historians, scholars, and journalists, which examined political and historical elements of the region, including works discussing enforced disappearances and feminist resistance.

How universities were used to muzzle dissent was also documented in the report, with the termination of Professor Snehashish Bhattacharya in September 2025, after a two-year suspension, by South Asian University, citing it as an example of restrictions on academic discourse and dissent.

Professor Lora Santhakumar of SRM Institute of Science and Technology lost her job for opposing calls for war and criticising civilian casualties resulting from Indian military action in Pakistan in a post on social media, while Professor Virendra Balaji Shahre faced suspension over a question in the examination asking students to “discuss the atrocities against Muslim minorities in India”.

Restrictions on academic events were likewise highlighted, as Banaras Hindu University and Mumbai University cancelled lectures because of the speakers’ criticism of the BJP-led government, while Delhi University cancelled a seminar titled “Land, Property and Democratic Rights”, citing “administrative reasons”.

Student protests, meanwhile, remained another major area of contention, as institutions and police took action against students involved in demonstrations over issues ranging from citizenship and elections to sexual harassment and development projects. S

AR said students at universities including TISS, Jamia Millia Islamia and the University of Delhi faced restrictions, disciplinary proceedings or police intervention, while ideological divisions between groups such as the ABVP, AISA and NSUI contributed to clashes and political tensions on campuses.

The report places India’s experience within a wider global decline in academic freedom, arguing that governments are increasingly using legislative and executive powers to influence curricula, research funding and university self-governance. Such measures, it said, can encourage self-censorship and weaken universities’ role as spaces for independent inquiry, critical thought and democratic discourse.

Globally, SAR also highlighted the devastating impact of the conflict in Gaza, where universities and educational infrastructure have suffered extensive destruction, while students and academics in the West Bank have faced raids, arrests and disruption.