We, the undersigned faculty members of the South Asian University, New Delhi, are shocked and outraged to learn that an armed and masked mob entered the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus in New Delhi on 5 January 2020 and attacked students and faculty members of the university. As per media reports, the rioting went on for hours; around forty students and faculty members have been grievously hurt and underwent treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences trauma centre.
We unequivocally and strongly condemn this attack. Universities are spaces for intellectual debates and dissent where students, researchers and teachers come together to discuss ideas and cultivate critical thinking. Violence of any kind has no place at these sites of learning.
We demand that the Police and other Executive authorities investigate into the matter expeditiously and bring all the perpetrators of this heinous crime to book. We also appeal to the honourable Supreme Court of India and the Delhi High Court to take suo motu cognisance of this matter and direct the Executive to act speedily and ensure the safety of JNU’s students and faculty members.
Signatories:
Anirban Dasgupta, Faculty of Economics
Ankur Datta, Department of Sociology
Binoy Goswami, Faculty of Economics
Danish Lohani, Department of Mathematics
Debdatta Saha, Faculty of Economics
Dev Pathak, Department of Sociology
Dhananjay Tripathi, Department of International Relations
Diya Mehra, Department of Sociology
Irfanullah Farooqi, Department of Sociology
Ishita Dey, Department of Sociology
Jayashree Vivekanandan, Department of International Relations
Mallika Shakya, Department of Sociology
Medha Bisht, Department of International Relations
Muhammad Abulaish, Department of Computer Science
Nabarun Roy, Department of International Relations
Namrata Gulati, Faculty of Economics
Prabhash Ranjan, Faculty of Legal Studies
Ravi Kumar, Department of Sociology
Sai Ramani Garimella, Faculty of Legal Studies
Sasanka Perera, Department of Sociology
Shweta Singh, Department of International Relations
Snehashish Bhattacharya, Faculty of Economics
Soumita Basu, Department of International Relations
Soumya Datta, Faculty of Economics
Srinivas Burra, Faculty of Legal Studies
Stellina Jolly, Faculty of Legal Studies
Yuba Raj Pokharel, Faculty of Life Science and Biotechnology
