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🇮🇳 India /Culture & Society

JNU cancels auditorium booking for Umar Khalid book discussion

From Hindustan Times · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) cancelled the booking for an auditorium where a book discussion on jailed activist Umar Khalid's work was scheduled.
  • The event, organized by the JNUSU, was to discuss Khalid's PhD thesis, 'Fractured Communities: Adivasi Histories and the Politics of Power'.
  • JNU cited "non-disclosure of the full facts" for the cancellation, while the students' union stated no specific reason was given, and an alternate venue would be announced.

An event at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi, intended to discuss a book by jailed activist Umar Khalid, has been relocated after the university cancelled the original auditorium booking. The book, titled 'Fractured Communities: Adivasi Histories and the Politics of Power,' is based on Khalid's PhD thesis.

The event was supposed to take place in the auditorium of the School of Social Sciences, but the venue has now been cancelled.

— JNUSU general secretaryConfirming the cancellation of the originally designated venue for the book discussion.

The discussion, organized by the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU), was scheduled for Monday in the School of Social Sciences auditorium. Umar Khalid, who has been in jail since September 2020, is awaiting trial for alleged involvement in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots conspiracy case. The book itself examines Adivasi histories and the politics of power, drawing from Khalid's doctoral research submitted in 2018.

While the JNUSU general secretary stated that no specific reason was provided for the cancellation of the venue, the official JNU handle on X later cited "non-disclosure of the full facts about the program" as the justification. The university administration also shared the permission letter, noting that the applicant had described the event as a "Public Talk for Adivasi Diwas (Book Discussion)".

non-disclosure of the full facts about the program

— JNU official handle on XThe university's stated reason for cancelling the event's venue.

The event was set to feature academics and activists, including Professors Prabhu Mahapatra and Uma Chakravarti, writer and journalist Shuddhabrata Sengupta, social activist Harsh Mander, and scholar Banojyotsna Lahiri, who is also Khalid's partner. The book has received praise, with historian Ramachandra Guha calling Khalid's dissertation "one of the most accomplished doctoral dissertations by an Indian."

one of the most accomplished doctoral dissertations by an Indian that I have read

— Ramachandra GuhaPraising Umar Khalid's PhD thesis upon which the book is based.

Khalid has been imprisoned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for over six years without his trial commencing. This situation has been described by some, including MP Shashi Tharoor, as a "travesty of justice." The violence during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens in 2020 resulted in 53 deaths and over 700 injuries.

Prove in court: Tharoor says Umar Khalid's six years in jail sans trial ‘a travesty of justice’, shares his interview

— Hindustan TimesHeadline referencing Shashi Tharoor's criticism of Khalid's prolonged detention without trial.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hindustan Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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