JNU Cancels Permission for Talk on Umar Khalid Book; JNUSU Moves Event Outdoors
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Sunday cancelled permission for a scheduled discussion on former student Umar Khalid’s book at the School of Social Sciences-1 (SSS-1) auditorium, citing non-disclosure of full details. The event, organised by the JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) for August 10 from 3 pm to 6 pm, will now be held outside the SSS-II building on the campus.
The university administration stated in a post on X that permission had originally been granted on August 7 by the Dean of the School of Social Sciences. However, the booking was revoked due to a "non-disclosure of the full facts about the program". A letter dated August 9, signed by Joint Registrar MK Pachauri and approved by the Dean, confirmed the cancellation of the event titled "Public Talk for Adivasi Diwas (Book Discussion)" on Khalid's book, 'Adivasi Histories and the Politics of Power'.
The JNUSU strongly condemned the decision, describing it as an arbitrary attempt to suppress critical thought and academic freedom. The union stated that the administration's explanation rang hollow and affirmed that the talk marking World Adivasi Day would proceed as planned in the open outside the SSS-II building.
The event's scheduled panel includes five speakers: Delhi University history professor Prabhu Mahapatra, historian Uma Chakravarti, Khalid’s partner Banojyotsna Lahiri, activist Harsh Mander, and writer Shuddhabrata Sengupta. Khalid has been in jail since September 2020 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in a conspiracy case linked to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots.
Meanwhile, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) backed the administration's decision to revoke the auditorium booking. ABVP JNU president Mayank Panchal stated that the campus cannot become a platform for glorifying an individual accused in cases related to serious anti-national activities and violence, noting that the organisation had raised objections with the university administration.
