Delhi University’s Professor Apoorvanand has expressed deep disappointment over the cancellation of a poetry reading event focused on the Palestine crisis, alleging that the university administration's refusal reflects a broader trend of stifling academic discourse.
The event, which was scheduled to take place on Monday, April 15, was reportedly denied permission by the administration, despite initially being approved for March.
In a statement to EdexLive, Professor Apoorvanand lamented the loss of a valuable educational opportunity for students and criticized the administration for limiting discussions to ideologies aligned with their own. The cancellation of the event, which featured esteemed guest Ashok Vajpeyi, a renowned poet and former bureaucrat, left attendees unaware and disappointed.
The professor highlighted a concerning trend in Indian educational institutions, where discussions on sensitive topics like the Israel-Palestine conflict are often curtailed. Similar incidents have been reported in universities across the country, including protests at The English Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Hyderabad Central University (HCU), and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
Expressing apprehensions about the shrinking space for academic freedom, Professor Apoorvanand criticized the bureaucratic process of obtaining event permissions, which he claims has shifted control away from department deans to the estate department. He warned that limiting discussions to conforming ideologies restricts learning to the confines of syllabi, depriving students of valuable opportunities for critical thinking and engagement with diverse perspectives.