INTERNATIONAL ACADEMICS CONDEMN ASSAULT ON FREEDOM OF THOUGHT BY THE INDIAN STATE

“Across India on Tuesday [Aug 28, 2018], from New Delhi to Hyderabad to Ranchi, police officers carried out similar raids on the homes of at least a half-dozen activists, writers  and lawyers. All were known for supporting resistance movements and marginalized groups, or for speaking out against the government.” (The New York Times, Aug 31, 2018)

Two prominent academics of international repute, Professors K.  Satyanaryana  and Anand Teltumbde were targeted by the Indian police force because of their activism and Dalit background. In each case, police have unlawfully entered, searched, and seized private property. This follows a pattern of targeted assaults on, and violence against Dalit and Tribal activists and writers. Not since the time of the National Emergency (1975-77) has India witnessed such an extensive and coordinated attack on Indian civil  actors.

Dr. K. Satyanarayana, Professor of Cultural Studies and Dean, School of Interdisciplinary Studies, has made  seminal contribution to the study of caste and to the field of Dalit Studies. The Indian police conducted an illegal raid on Dr. Satyanarayana’s house under the pretext of searching for his father-in-law, the renowned poet  and activist, Varavara Rao, who was already under police custody. The Indian police entered his house without any search warrant and chastised Dr. Satyanarayana and his wife for not having any pictures of Hindu gods on their walls. They demanded to know why Dr. Satyanarayana read books by Marx and Ambedkar. The police seized three laptops, hard drives, pen drives, research material, and books. Dr. Satyanarayana’s thirty years of research is now in danger of being completely destroyed. His prominent books include, Dalit Writings in South India: No Alphabet in Sight, 2011; Steel Nibs are Sprouting, 2013; and Dalit Studies, 2016. In January 2018, Dr. Satyanaryana organized the Dalit Studies conference at CSDS, Delhi, together with a group of scholars.

Dr. Anand Teltumbde, Senior Professor and Chair Big Data Analytics at the Goa Institute of Management, India, is among India’s most important public intellectuals writing on Dalit issues today. An alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad and well-known human right activist and a regular commentator in Indian media, Professor Teltumbde has published books and articles on Dalit related issues. His prominent books  include, The Persistence of Caste: The Khairlanji Murders and India’s Hidden Apartheid, 2010; Hindutva and Dalits, 2017. He is a regular contributor to the renowned journal, The Economic and Political Weekly. The police broke into his house even though his entire family was away. The police also seized Professor Teltumbde’s computer, research materials, and books.

As academics from across the world—the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, Singapore, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and Africa—we are distressed and deeply concerned about this assault on Indian academics belonging to the Dalit community. If India is to remain the world’s largest democracy in any meaningful sense, it is incumbent on the current government in India to observe the rule of law and respect citizens’ right to freedom of thought, religion, and speech. We oppose and protest the concerted attack on academic freedom and progressive traditions within Indian universities that the Indian government led by Prime Minister Narender Modi has launched.

We demand that personal belongings and research materials which were illegally seized by the police be returned immediately to Professors Satyanarayana and Teltumbde. We condemn the targeting of individuals under spurious charges of anti-national activity. We demand that the other activists who have been detained should be immediately released from the custody in which they are unlawfully and unjustly held.

Signed,