Universities the world over are known as centres of enquiry, research and innovation. It is also said that an evaluation of the universities of a country will serve as an index of how much space exists there for democratic social values. Although this cannot be considered an infallible benchmark, the case of a changing India in this perspective is alarmingly visible in our universities. Narendra Modi's right-wing Hindutva government, which has demonstrated its totalitarian propensities in all areas in less than ten years of rule, has been targeting the country's universities ever since its early days. The government has shown complete hostility towards Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University, generally described as a cradle of independent thought and student opposition, and has hunted down student activists. The top officials of the central government themselves spearheaded the slanderous campaigns against the central university that spread worldwide. Acts of suppression of students from the underprivileged and backward community of the University of Hyderabad culminated in the ending of the life of a genius named Rohit Vemula. Jamia Millia Islamia, which has come forward with a citizenship movement against the unjust law that leads to discrimination among the citizens of the country, let loose the police and goons to teach the students a lesson. In various states including Kerala, the governors, who hold the ornamental title of chancellor, have been used as tools to invade universities and try to implement state interests.
While most of the above-mentioned universities are central universities or run with the financial and technical support of governments, most recent disturbing news comes from an independent university running on private capital. Inspired by the quest for enlightenment and transformation of the great Emperor Ashoka, the educational institution started with the aim of providing a liberal and noble holistic education, offering opportunities for deep critical thinking. Sabyasachi Das, who was an assistant professor in the Department of Economics at Ashoka University, had prepared a paper titled 'Democratic Backsliding in the World's Largest Democracy' questioning the authenticity of the BJP's victory in the 2019 general elections. The publication of the paper analyzing the irregularities in the voter count and the BJP's landslide victory in the hotly contested constituencies naturally upset the BJP. Soon after that, the university, which claims to promote research possibilities and critical thinking came out with a public statement distancing itself from the thesis, saying that the university had not completed the review process. It also made claims about their independent position and tradition. Soon Sabyasachi Das had to resign from the university. If an autonomous university is hurt when the administration is hit, that is a sign of a deep malady. If this was the first incident, it could have been dismissed as accidental. But can we forget that Pratap Bhanu Mehta, a world-renowned educationist and fearless political observer who held the position of Ashoka's Vice-Chancellor. had to resign two years ago following a clear message from the management that his position was becoming a 'political liability'? Economist Arun Subramanian also quit his job with strong criticisms against Mehta's resignation.
Although Sabyasachi was abandoned by the university, the redeeming fact is that at least a few of his colleagues who value independent thinking have come forward to join him. Renowned economist Prof. Pulapre Balakrishnan was the first to resign in solidarity. The faculty of the Economics and English & Creative Writing departments have also written to the university authorities saying that they will stay away from work until Sabyasachi is reinstated. University heads have not responded to this. The fact that the government is resorting to the tactics of pressure applied against opposition parties and leaders to universities also shows the depth of their intolerance towards critical and dissenting voices. The nation can overcome this menace only through the unflinching resistance of the academic and student community.