JNU cancels auditorium booking for discussion on Umar Khalid’s book: Students’ Union

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) recently criticized the university administration for canceling a discussion on the book "Fractured Communities: Adivasi Histories and the Politics of Power" by former student Umar Khalid. The event was scheduled to take place at SSS-1 auditorium on August 10. Khalid is currently in jail, facing charges related to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots conspiracy case.

JNUSU stated that discussing a book is a fundamental aspect of academic culture and democratic engagement on university campuses. They criticized the cancellation as evidence of the administration's anti-student and anti-intellectual agenda, which seeks to suppress critical thought and silence dissenting voices. The union emphasized that the JNU administration should protect free exchange of ideas, rather than censoring them.

In response, the university administration claimed that the cancellation was due to the non-disclosure of full facts about the program. They argued that the booking of the auditorium was made in error and that the event's schedule was not disclosed accurately. The union accused Dean of the School of Social Sciences of instructing the booking format, further fueling their claims of censorship.

JNUSU reaffirmed that the cancellation of the room did not cancel the discussion and that the program would occur outside the venue. They described the book as a serious, academic work on Adivasi resistance and Jal, Jungle, and Jameen struggles, and asserted that the decision to cancel the discussion exposed the administration's anti-Adivasi ideology.

The RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) claimed responsibility for the cancellation, stating that they raised the issue of the event's poster through social media platforms and demanded the administration cancel the event immediately. ABVP president Mayank Panchal stated that JNU should not be a platform for glorifying Umar Khalid, who is accused of serious anti-national activities and violence.

ABVP JNU president Mayank Panchal emphasized that the cancellation is a victory for ABVP's struggle against the glorification of a traitor accused of violent activities.