Following the recent controversy regarding resignation of two professors at the Ashoka University over a research paper, the political science department issued an unanimous statement extending support to them. The statement by the political science department reads, "We demand greater transparency about the factors that caused Prof. Das to offer his resignation and its hasty acceptance by the university, especially at a time when students and faculty across departments have mobilised to support Dr Das. By now the pattern is all too familiar, especially for us as a department. We believe that Dr Das did not violate any accepted norm of academic practice. We strongly condemn the actions of the governing body. The governing body’s actions have signalled to students that critical inquiry can be met with severe repercussions and thus undermines the work that we do within and outside the classroom."
280 economists extend support to Sabyasachi Das
Meanwhile 280 economists at over 78 institutions across the country have issued a statement in solidarity with assistant professor Sabyasachi Das, who resigned following a controversy over his research paper suggesting electoral manipulation by the BJP in the 2019 general elections.
The statement by them reads, "We, economists working in India, strongly believe that academic freedom is the cornerstone of the vibrant educational and research community, and that everyone must have the right to pursue knowledge, share their findings, and engage in open dialogue without the fear of censorship and retribution."
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According to the media reports, the solidarity statement was signed by professors, economists from central universities, Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), University of Calcutta, and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, IIT Madras, IIT Guwahati and several other academics from public and private universities.
Ashoka University Vice-Chancellor's Stand
Professor Sabyasachi Das, whose paper suggesting voter manipulation in 2019 elections sparked a controversy, has already resigned from his post. The vice-chancellor of the university, Somak Raychaudhury had earlier said that the university has accepted his resignation "after making extensive efforts to dissuade him."
“Dr. Das is currently on leave from Ashoka, serving as visiting faculty at the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (Deemed to be University) in Pune. After making extensive efforts to dissuade him, the University has accepted his resignation,” added the VC.
The VC said that Professor Das’s research does not reflect the views of the university and distanced itself from the research paper and expressed dismay over the debate started around it.
The row erupted after a research paper by Das, titled ‘Democratic Backsliding in the World’s Largest Democracy’, went viral on social media after it was published on the Social Science Research Network in July.
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