Sardar Patel Vidyalaya Cancels Zoya Hasan's Independence Day Talk Following Protests

Sardar Patel Vidyalaya in New Delhi cancelled a scheduled address by Jawaharlal Nehru University professor emerita Zoya Hasan hours before she was set to attend the school's annual Independence Day function, citing a threat to safety following protests at the campus gates.

Hasan had been invited by the school principal a month in advance to attend the Independence Day programme as the chief guest. According to the schedule, she was set to hoist the national flag and address an audience of students and parents at 10 a.m. on the topic "Why pluralism matters."

The cancellation took place abruptly on the morning of the event. Hasan said that around 9:30 a.m., just as she was getting ready to depart for the school, two security personnel from the institution arrived at her home. They informed her that her address had been called off due to a perceived threat to her safety as well as the safety of the students. Hasan mentioned that the school had originally arranged a pickup for her, with a history teacher scheduled to escort her to the venue.

Parents associated with the school said that protesters had gathered at the school gate to express opposition to the event. According to the parents, the demonstrators were identified as members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). Several parents termed the last-minute cancellation unprecedented in the school's history.

Responding to the claims, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad denied that its members were involved in the demonstration at the gate. However, the organisation maintained that it welcomed the cancellation of Hasan's address.

Despite the cancellation of the chief guest's speech, the Independence Day programme continued at the school. The president of the Gujarat Education Society, the body that manages Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, stepped in to take Hasan's place at the function and distributed the annual awards to the students.