Several days following the resignations of two professors, Sabyasachi Das and Pulapre Balakrishnan, from Ashoka University‘s Economics Department due to a dispute over Das’s research paper titled ‘Democratic Backsliding in the World’s Largest Democracy’, other departments within the university, namely Political Science, Sociology, and Anthropology, released statements expressing their solidarity with Prof. Das.
The Political Science Department issued a statement declaring its unanimous support for Prof. Sabyasachi Das, emphasizing that his resignation from the Economics Department was prompted by the university’s distancing from his work and the government council’s decision to investigate his research.
This development followed the Economics Department’s open letter on Wednesday, which criticized the Ashoka University Governing Body’s “interference” in evaluating the merits of Das’s study and cautioned that such intervention could lead to a significant departure of faculty members.
In connection to Das’s resignation, Pulapre Balakrishnan, another Economics professor, also resigned in protest. Balakrishnan confirmed his resignation’s link to Das’s departure and noted that the university had not yet responded to his resignation.
The Economics Department’s open letter, shared on Twitter, was endorsed by Ashwini Deshpande, a Professor of Economics and Founding Director of the Centre for Economic Data and Analysis (CEDA) at Ashoka University. The letter, reflecting the consensus of the Economics Department, demanded that Das be unconditionally reinstated and that the Governing Body refrain from assessing faculty research through committees or structures.
Letter says this matter shatters trust in the leadership of Ashoka University
The letter said that the swift acceptance of their colleague Prof. Sabyasachi Das’s resignation by the University, following his offer to resign, has shattered the trust that they, the faculty of the Economics Department, their fellow colleagues, students, and supporters of Ashoka University worldwide, had placed in the leadership of the University. It added that they implore the governing body to address this matter promptly, with a deadline no later than August 23, 2024 and failure to do so will systematically undermine the largest academic department at Ashoka University and jeopardize the very essence of the Ashoka vision.
During an urgent faculty meeting with the University’s leadership, demands were put forth to reinstate Das and ensure the protection of academic freedoms on campus. On Tuesday, August 15, Amit Chaudhuri, the Head of the Department and Professor of Creative Writing, sent a letter to the Vice-Chancellor and the Dean of Faculty, raising concerns about the continuous threats to the crucial domain of academic freedom.
Attached to the email was a ‘Letter on Academic Freedom’, endorsed by a total of 87 faculty members, including notable names like Nayanjot Lahiri, Pulapre Balakrishnan, Saikat Majumdar, and Madhavi Menon. Chaudhuri commented while talking to the Indian Express that they composed the letter because they believed that the handling of the situation was contrary to acceptable university practices. Additionally, they said that they possess an official document on academic freedom that was formulated after the departure of Pratap Bhanu Mehta.
The aforementioned document outlines the university’s official stances on academic freedom, in contrast to an unknown origin tweet. Chaudhuri said that one foreseeable action is the establishment of a Committee for Academic Freedom, ensuring that impromptu decisions, the origins of which are unclear, are rendered impossible.
These events transpired just three days prior to the scheduled commencement of a new academic session at Ashoka University. As of today, there has been no response from the spokesperson or the Vice Chancellor of Ashoka University regarding an email sent to them.
The Political Science Department’s statement reiterated two demands: reinstating Prof. Sabyasachi Das without conditions and confirming that the governing body would not evaluate faculty research through any committee or structure.
The letter underscored that Prof. Das did not breach any accepted academic norms and strongly criticized the governing body’s actions. It warned of potential disruptions to teaching obligations unless the demands were met.
Two more departments shared solidarity statements
The Sociology and Anthropology departments of Ashoka University also issued statements on Thursday morning, expressing concern over unusual interference in Prof. Das’s academic work. They expected an unconditional apology to him and the faculty from the governing body, along with a reaffirmation of the university’s commitment to academic freedom and its founding ideals.
The faculty members urged the governing body to address these matters by August 23.
Dr. Sabyasachi Das, an assistant professor in the department, resigned last week. The university, after extensive efforts to dissuade him, officially accepted his resignation on Monday. The university clarified that it does not control or moderate the research conducted by its faculty and students, thereby upholding academic freedom.
