Over 500 academicians back Jindal University professor amid ‘vicious witch hunt’
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Jindal University professor Sameena Dalwai is currently under investigation by the Haryana Police, facing allegations of harming the dignity of women and discriminating against students based on religious and ideological grounds. Critics argue that the case against her is driven by her Muslim identity and political affiliations.
The uproar began when Dalwai, during a lecture on sexuality and desire, projected a dating app onto a screen to analyze the language of dating profiles. The incident caused discomfort among some students as profiles of their friends were displayed.
Despite closing the app after objections, clips from the lecture resurfaced weeks later in the wake of a controversy surrounding a lecture by political scientist Achin Vanaik on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Vanaik's assertion that Zionism and Hindutva were different, with the latter being "fundamentally and foundationally anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic," added fuel to the fire. A screenshot of an email from Dalwai defending Vanaik's talk went viral, where she mentioned "Jai Shri Ram" slogans being chanted on campus and "right-wing" students and faculty organizing their "own events."
The Haryana Police filed a first information report against Dalwai, prompting over 500 academicians, including Vanaik, historians Ramachandra Guha and Tanika Sarkar, and lawyer Lawrence Liang, to support her in a letter.
They accused the Haryana Women’s Commission of making a media spectacle and holding Dalwai guilty without due process. The letter expressed dismay at the university's failure to follow proper procedures and claimed that Dalwai was being persecuted for her Muslim identity and political beliefs.
The academicians urged the authorities in the State of Haryana to put an end to what they termed a "vicious witch hunt." They criticized the assumption that discussions on sexuality or politics automatically harm the dignity of women or discriminate against students, emphasizing the need to uphold academic freedom in the face of political pressure.