Canadian academics stand with JNU and student struggles in India

We, the undersigned, faculty and students at universities across Canada, wish to express our solidarity with the ongoing student struggle at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, India. In doing so, we wholeheartedly condemn the extra-constitutional detention of the JNU Students’ Union leader Kanhaiya Kumar and seven other students on February 9, 2016. Universities should be places of academic freedom where dissent and critical thinking must not only be tolerated but should be actively encouraged. The students who have been charged with sedition (a colonial-era relic that the Supreme Court of India itself has attempted to weaken) for questioning the Indian state’s controversial execution of Afzal Guru, the man accused in the attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001, breached no law, and are being illegally detained. Credible news reports from India’s leading television channels and newspapers have confirmed that the police action, and subsequent occupation of the university by police, was spurred on by the right-wing students group, the ABVP, that seems to have a direct line of influence with the ruling BJP in central government.

Since the February 9 incident, other students and faculty of JNU have been intimidated and beaten up, and journalists have been threatened and assaulted. Further exacerbating the attacks, on 15 February 2016, JNU students and faculty, along with at least ten journalists, were violently attacked by lawyers and a legislator from the ruling party when they were peacefully attending court in support of Kanhaiya Kumar’s hearing. All of this amounts to one of the most concerted and vicious projects of undermining not just one of India’s leading universities, but of creating a widespread culture of intolerance and state-sanctioned violence and orchestrating an assault on public education. The attack on JNU comes on the heels of what is being termed the institutional murder of Rohith Vemula, a dalit student at the University of Hyderabad, and the concerted attacks on dalit students there, also in the name of a manufactured patriotism in which any questioning of the state’s role in entrenching caste and class hegemony is rendered “anti-national”.

We want to assure the students, staff and faculty of JNU that they are not alone in their struggle. At Canadian universities, we are part of a growing global movement that seeks to condemn and resist the vicious attack on democratic norms, academic freedom and political dissent at JNU and in other universities globally.

(If you wish to add your name to this statement of support, please post a comment with your name, affiliation and location. We will update the post as more signatures come in. Thank you.)

1 Jayeeta Sharma, Associate Professor, University of Toronto

2 Rachel Berger, Associate Professor, Concordia University, Montreal QC Canada

3 Ishita Pande (JNU, 1999), Queen’s University, KIngston

4 Natalie Rothman, University of Toronto

5 Deborah Cowen, Department of Geography and Planning, University of Toronto

6 Ajay Rao, Associate Professor, University of Toronto

7 Prashant Keshavmurthy, Professor, Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University, Montreal

8 Dr. Kristine Alexander, the University of Lethbridge

9 Raju J Das, Associate Professor, York University, Toronto

10 Andrea Marion Pinkney, McGill University, Montreal, QC

11 Rupinder Minhas, York University, Toronto

12 Rianne Mahon, Political Science, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

13 Rabea Murtaza, Toronto

14 Nhung Tuyet Tran, University of Toronto

15 Sara Saljoughi, English & Cinema Studies, University of Toronto

16 Katharine N. Rankin, University of Toronto

17 Daniel White, Professor of English, University of Toronto

18 Margrit Eichler, Professor Emerita, OISE/UT

19 Lynne Viola, University Professor, University of Toronto

20 Bettina von Lieres, Centre for Critical Development Studies, UTSC

21 Prasad Khanolkar, University of Toronto, Canada

22 Chandler Davis, University of Toronto, Toronto

23 Francis Cody, University of Toronto, Toronto

24 Bhavani Raman, University of Toronto, Toronto

25 Neilesh Bose, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, CANADA

26 Natalie Zemon Davis, University of Toronto, Toronto

27 Jens Hanssen, Depts of History and NMC, Toronto

28 Alejandro Paz, Anthropology, University of Toronto

29 Anup Grewal, University of Toronto

30 Dia Da Costa, University of Alberta

31 Rosa Sarabia, University of Toronto

32 Tong Lam, University of Toronto, Canada

33 Malini Guha, Carleton University

34 Laura Toth

35 Nicholas Sammond, University of Toronto, CANADA

36 Sanjeev Routray, University of British Columbia, Vancouver

37 Michael Lambek, FRSC, Professor of Anthropology, University of Toronto

38 Richard Roman, Sociology, Emeritus, University of Toronto, TORONTO

39 Dharashree Das, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby

40 Samar Nour, PhD Candidate, University of Toronto, Canada

41 Kari Dehli, Professor Emerita, University of Toronto

42 Katherine Blouin, University of Toronto, Toronto

43 Meghana Rao, University of Toronto

44 Kanishka Goonewardena, Department of Geography and Planning, University of Toronto

45 Kajri Jain, University of Toronto

46 Sheila L. Cavangh, Associate Professor, York University, Toronto, Canada.

47 Ruth Marshall, Associate Professor, Political Science, University of Toronto

48 Renisa Mawani, Associate Professor, University of British Columbia

49 Sara Shneiderman, University of British Columbia, Vancouver

50 Meenal Shrivastava, Professor Political Economy and Global Studies, Athabasca University

51 Sherene Razack, Professor, University of Toronto

52 Andrea Muehlebach, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Canada

53 Alexandre Da Costa, university of Alberta, Canada

54 Leslie Orr, Professor, Concordia University, Montreal

55 Ju Hui Judy Han, Assistant Professor in Department of Geography and Planning, University of Toronto

56 Parnisha Sarkar, PhD candidate, University of Toronto

57 Richard Sandbrook, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of Toronto

58 Kate Holland, Associate Professor, Dept of Slavic Langs and Lits, University of Toronto
59 Denise Reaume, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, Canada

60 Michelle Murphy, History, University of Toronto

61 Charles Chiu

62 Elena Razlogova, Concordia University, Montreal

63 Roberta Buiani , University of Toronto

64 Firoza Elavia, York University, Toronto

65 Jack Quarter, University of Toronto

66 Amandeep Kaur Panag, York University, Toronto

67 Rajyashree N Reddy, Department of Geography and Planning, University of Toronto

68 Carla Nappi, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC

69 Vasuki Shanmuganathan, University of Toronto, Canada

70 Omar Sirri, PhD student, University of Toronto – Toronto, Canada

71 Sikata Banerjee, University of Victoria

72 Ozlem Aslan, University of Toronto, Toronto

73 David Seitz, Lecturer, University of Toronto

74 Nestor E. Rodriguez, Associate Professor, University of Toronto

75 D. Alissa Trotz, University of Toronto, Toronto

76 Reeju Ray, University of Western Ontario

77 Naisargi N. Dave, Associate Professor, Anthropology, University of Toronto

78 Anne-Emanuelle Birn, Professor, University of Toronto

79 Emily Gilbert, University of Toronto, Canada

80 Sam Walker, PhD Candidate, University of Toronto

81 Neera Singh, University of Toronto

82 Sevi Bayraktar, PhD student, University of California, Los Angeles

83 Professor Jody Berland, York University, Toronto, Canada

84 Bianca Dahl, University of Toronto

85 Shyam Ranganathan, Department of Philosophy, York University, Toronto

86 Christopher Webb, University of Toronto, Canada

87 Greg Albo, Political Science, York University, Toronto

88 Jaby Mathew, University of Toronto, Toronto

89 Justin GD, York University, Toronto

90 Shubhra Gururani, Associate Professor, Anthropolgy, York University, Toronto

91 Alan Sears, Sociology, Ryerson University, Toronto

92 Andre Sorensen, Professor, University of Toronto Scarborough

93 Arsalan Kahnemuyipour, Associate Professor of Linguistics, University of Toronto

94 Elizabeth Brule, York University, Toronto

95 Rahul Varma, playwright

96 Genevieve Mercier-Dalphond, McGill University, Montreal Canada

97 Zain R. Mian, McGill University, Montreal QC

98 Adrian Murray, University of Ottawa

99 Teresa Hubel, Huron University College, London, Ontario, Canada

100 Parastou Saberi, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto

101 Jennifer Chun, Sociology, University of Toronto Scarborough

102 Pasha M. Khan, McGill University, Montreal

103 Elliot Montpellier, McGill University

104 Tayyaba Jiwani, University of Toronto

105 Kevin Coleman, University of Toronto, Canada

106 Catherine Larouche, McGill University, Montreal, Canada

107 Nadir Khan, Law Student at McGill University, Montreal, Quebec

108 Meghant Sudan, Concordia University, Montreal

109 Yves Winter, McGill University, Montreal

110 Gavin Smith, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto

111 Qamar Zaidi, York University, Canada.

112 Dominik Wujastyk, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

113 Sanchia deSouza, University of Toronto, Toronto

114 Prasanta Dhar, Dept of History, University of Toronto

115 Jennifer Glassco, PhD Candidate in Anthropology, McGill University, Montreal

116 Sergio Arcaro Centennial College Toronto Ontario Canada

117 Nishant Upadhyay, York University, Mississaugas of New Credit Territories (Toronto)

118 Joel Dickau, University of Toronto, Canada

119 Ponni Arasu, Graduate Student, Department of History, University of Toronto.

120 Piyusha Chatterjee, Concordia University, Montreal

121 Apurva Ashok, BA Student, McGill University.

122 Rebecca Coulter, PhD, Professor Emerita, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

123 Maya Khankhoje, former student at Concordia University/McGill University, Montreal.

124 Kiran Mirchandani, University of Toronto, Canada

125 Dr. Dylan Clark, Lecturer, The Asian Institute, University of Toronto (Canada)

126 Joseph H. Carens, Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto

\127 Mohamad Tavakoli, University of Toronto

128 Michael Nijhawan, York University, Toronto

129 Holly Gilmour, Oshawa, Ontario

130 Jordy Cummings, York University, Toronto

131 Zaheer Baber, Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Toronto

132 Ayyaz Mallick, PhD student, York University Canada

133 Mostafa Abedinifard, MacEwan University, Edmonton

134 Michael Truscello, Associate Professor, Mount Royal University

135 Jennifer Nedelsky, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Toronto, Canada

136 Rupaleem Bhuyan, Associate Professor, Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto

137 Akshaya Tankha, Doctoral Candidate, University of Toronto

138 Colin J Campbell, OCAD University, Toronto, Canada

139 Justin Podur, Associate Professor, York University, Toronto

140 Kanta Murali, Assistant Professor, University of Toronto

141 Poulami Roychowdhury, McGill University, Montreal

142 Pierre-Alexandre Paquet, PhD Student and Lecturer, McGill University

143 Sailaja Krishnamurti, York University, Toronto

144 Nick Tosaj, University of Toronto

145 Nick McGee, University of Toronto, Toronto ON

146 Anil Varughese, Assistant Professor, Carleton University, Ottawa

147 Chandrima Chakraborty, Associate Professor, McMaster University, Hamilton

148 Katherine Lemons, McGill University, Montreal

149 Noa Shaindlinger, PhD Candidate, University of Toronto

150 Jessica Stilwell, McGill University, Montreal

151 Reena Shadaan, PhD Candidate, York University

152 Mary Louise Adams, Queen’s University, Canada

153 Sadeqa Siddiqui, Montreal Canada

154 Dhruv Jain, York University, Toronto, Canada

155 Ashutosh Kumar

156 Emma Alexander, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg

157  Andrew Ivaska, Associate Professor of History, Concordia University, Montreal

158 Chiara Letizia, UQAM, Montreal, Canada

159 Holly Gilmour, Oshawa, Ontario

160 Elise Chenier, Professor, Simon Fraser University

161 Edward Dunsworth, University of Toronto, Canada

162 Chandan Narayan, York University

163 Kajri Jain, University of Toronto, Toronto

164 Sandeep Banerjee, McGill University

165 Charles Stankievec, University of Toronto, Canada

166 Naomi Nagy, University of Toronto

167 R.Cheran, University of Windsor, Canada

168 LM Ishiguro, University of British Columbia, Vancouver

169 Katie Davis, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON

170 Daniel Bender, Historical and Cultural Studies, University of Toronto-Scarborough

171 Radhika Mongia, York University, Toronto

172 Kristin Bright, Carleton University, Ottawa Canada

173 Kevin A. Gould, Concordia University, Department of Geography, Planning and Environment

174 Jamie Magnusson, U of Toronto, Canada

175 Mona Luxion, PhD Candidate, McGill University (Montreal); visiting scholar at CEPT University and IIM Bangalore

176 Ken MacDonald, Dept. of Geography, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON

177 Diane Shea, Dawson College, Montreal

178 David Morris, Concordia University, Montreal

179 Miriam Diamond, Professor, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto

180 Michael Ekers, Assistant Professor, University of Toronto

181 Luin Goldring, York University, Toronto, Canada

182 Katherine Bischoping, Department of Sociology, York University, Toronto

183 Punam Khosla, York University

184 Nancy Jackson, Vancouver BC. Associate Professor Emerita, University of Toronto

185 Penni Stewart, York University, Toronto

186 Nancy Mandell, Professor, Sociology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

187 Hyun Ok Park, Associate Professor of Sociology, York University, Toronto

188 Margaret E. Beare, York University, Toronto

189 Shubhra Gururani, Associate Professor, York University

190 Sophie Voegele, York University Toronto, Canada and Zurich University of the Arts ZHdK, Switzerland

191 Mark Thomas, Department of Sociology, York University, Toronto, Canada

192 Amber Gazso, York University, Canada

193 Elizabeth Lunstrum, Associate Professor, York University, Toronto, Canada

194 Kathryn Barber, York University

195 Azar Masoumi, York University, Canada

196 Melanie Balfour, PhD student, History department, University of Toronto

197 Gokboru S. Tanyildiz, PhD Student, Sociology, York University, Canada

198 Michael Ornstein, Sociology, York University

199 Diana Abraham, York University

200 David McNally, Professor of Political Science, York University, Toronto, Canada

201 Matt Jones, University of Toronto

202 Benjamin Christensen, PhD Candidate, York University

203 Pauline O’Connor, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada

204 Walter Whiteley, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

205 Nalini Persram, York University, Canada

206 Pallavi V Das, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay

207 Honor Ford-Smith, Associate Professor, Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University, Toronto, Canada

208 Tina Virmani, Humber College, Toronto

209 Erin Runions, a Canadian in the U.S. (Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Pomona College, California)

210 Danijel Matijevic, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario

211 Peter Vandergeest, York University, Toronto

212 Perry Maddox, McGill University

213 Daniel Yon, Associate Professor, Dept. of Anthropology and Faculty of Education, York University, Toronto.

214 Miguel Gonzalez, York University

215 Zoe Newman, Toronto, Canada

216 Karen Anderson, Associate Professor, York University Canada

217 Malcolm Blincow, Anthropology, York University (Retired)

218 Mark Goodman, Department of Sociology, York University

219 Eric Clark, professor, Lund University, Sweden

220 Gizem Cakmak, York University (Toronto, Canada)

221 Dr. Alex Latta, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON

222 Max Haiven, Assistant Professor, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design

223 Girish Daswani, University of Toronto, Canada

224 Sima Aprahamian, Ph.D. Simone de Beauvoir Institute

225 Alexandra L., University of Toronto

226 Lorna Erwin, Associate Professor, York University

227 Prof.Emeritus, Meyer Brownstone, University of Toronto, Toronto Ontario Canada

228 Colleen Bell, Assistant Professor, University of Saskatchewan

229 Gulay Kilicaslan, York University, Toronto, Phd Student at Sociology

230 Bonita Lawrence, Department of Equity Studies, York University

231 Duygu Gul Kaya, York University, Toronto

232 Soma Chatterjee, School of Social Work, York University, Toronto

233 Rana Sukarieh, Phd candidate, Sociology department, York University

234 Paul Kingston, Associate Professor Political Science, university of Toronto

235 Matthew Rowlinson, English and Centre for Theory and Criticism, Western University

236 Harry Smaller (Ph.D), Faculty of Education, York University, Toronto

237 Pablo Idahosa, York Univetsity

238 Lily Cho, York University, Toronto

239 Tariq Amin-Khan, Ryerson University, Toronto

240 Himani Bannerji

241 Anwesha Ghosh, University of Toronto, Toronto

242 David L. Robinson, University of Toronto

243 Natalie Kouri-Towe, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON

244 Carlota McAllister, York University, Toronto, Canada

245 Sara Carpenter, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

246 Liette Gilbert, York University, Toronto

247 Amir Hassanpour, Associate Prof (Ret.), University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

248 Lorna Weir, York University, Toronto, Canada

249 Stephen Slemon, Professor of English & Film Studies, University of Alberta

250 Stephen Rockel, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

251 Anna Zalik, York University, Canada

252 Joan Simalchik, University of Toronto Mississauga

253 Emily Zimmermann, York University MA student, North York, On

254 Monica Espaillat Lizardo, University of Toronto

255 Hyun Ok Park, Associate Professor of Sociology, York University, Toronto

256 Barbara Evans, Department of Cinema and Media Studies, York University, Toronto

257 Karen Murray, York University

258 Marcia Macaulay, York University, Toronto, Canada

259 Eric Mykhalovskiy, Associate Professor, York University

260 Ranu Basu York University

261 Dr. Barbara Heron, Professor, School of Social Work, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada

262 Prof. Sam Lanfranco, York University, Canada

263 Deborah Brock, York University, Toronto

264 Prof. Ian Radforth, Department of History, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

265 Teresa Abbruzzese, York University, Toronto, Canada

266 Louis Lefeber, Professor of Economics, York university, Toronto, Canada

267 Leigh Denholm, York University, Canada.

268 Prof. Aryn Martin, York University, Toronto ON Canada

269 M Shohet, UTSC, Toronto, Canada

270 Viviana Patroni, York University, Canada

271 Hira Singh, York University

272 Shahrzad Mojab, University of Toronto

273 Professor Gail Vanstone, York University, Toronto, Canada

274 Srilata Raman, Religion, University of Toronto

275 Anne O’Connell, Associate Professor, York University

276 Caroline Hossein, York University

277 Robert Latham, Political Science, York University, Toronto, Canada

278 Roshney Kurian, McMaster University, Hamilton ON, Canada

279 Craig Jennex, Department of English & Cultural Studies, McMaster University, Canada

280 Ravi Adve, University of Toronto

281 Sarah Harrison, McMaster University, Hamilton ON Canada

282 Olivia Polk, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

283 Shalini Sharma, Dept. of Economics, University of Toronto at Mississauga

284 Eva C Karpinski, Associate Professor, York University, Toronto

285 Tyler Pollard, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON

286 Nour Afara, McMaster University, Hamilton

287 Alison Crosby

288 Glenn Stalker, Associate Professor, York University, Toronto

289 BD Ferguson, McMaster University, Ontario

290 Danielle Landry, PhD student, York University

291 Susie O’Brien, McMaster University, Hamilton ON canada

292 Franca Iacovetta, Professor, University of Toronto

293 Eliot Tretter, Proffesor, University of Calgary

294 Markus Reisenleitner, YorkU

295 Kasim Husain, PhD Candidate and Sessional Lecturer, McMaster University

296 Mary O’Connor, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

297 Sarah D’Adamo, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON

298 Elizabeth Zanoni, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Toronto Scarborourgh

299 Adan Jerreat-Poole, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, CANADA

300 Dr. Anne Savage, McMaster University

301 Dr. Lorraine York, McMaster University, Hamilton ON

302 James King, F.R.S.C.

303 Marcelo Vieta, Assistant Professor, University of Toronto

304 Jeff Fedoruk, McMaster University, Hamilton Ontario

305 Benjamin Prus, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

306 Constantine Gidaris, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON

307 Michelle Buckley, University of Toronto

308 Donald Goellnicht, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada

309 Caitlin Janzen, Ph.D Student, York University

310 Lesley Wood, York University, Toronto Canada

311 Christine Dalton, Hamilton

312 Andrew Clement, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto

313 Marcelle Kosman, University of Alberta, Edmonton Alberta

314 Marcello Musto, York University

315 Dr. Sourayan Mookerjea, Department of Sociology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

316 Amber Dean, McMaster University

317 Donna Gabaccia, University of Toronto

318 Jeffrey Pilcher, University of Toronto

319. Michelle Cho, McGill University, Montreal

320. Malavika Kasturi, University of Toronto, Toronto

321. Janet Rubinoff, York University, Toronto

322 Molly Ladd-Taylor, York University

323 Neil ten Kortenaar, University of Toronto Scarborough

324 Natasha Pinterics, University of Alberta, Edmonton

325 Craig Fortier, Assistant Professor Social Development Studies, Renison University College (University of Waterloo)

326 Malissa Phung, McMaster University, Canada

327 Carmela Murdocca, York University

328 Shamika Shabnam, Doctoral Candidate at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

329 Kovid Sharma

330 Brycen Dwayne Janzen, McMaster University – Hamilton, ON

331 Janet Rubinoff, York University (Toronto)

332 Sonia Persaud,  McMaster University Hamilton

333 Hilton Bertalan, York University

334  Aditi Gupta, University of Alberta, Edmonton

335 Sandra den Otter, Queen’s University, Kingston

336 Kerim Kartal, Queen’s University, Kingston

337 Sajdeep Soomal, McGill University, Montreal

338 Sabin Ninglekhu, University of Toronto

The protection of free speech and critical thought within the university is crucial to social prosperity especially in countries where the ideology of exclusion is backed by executive power. This pertains to India and many other states to varying degrees including Canada (particularly in recent years).

– Nalini Persram, in the comments for the statement

Thank you for the signs of support. The responses have been overwhelming. Every act of solidarity counts.

If you are unable to post your name on the comments section, please mail your names and affiliation to aprajita.sarcar@queensu.ca

Solidarity Statement from Scholars in Canada

 

 

We, the signatories to this statement, are in absolute and resounding support of the students, faculty, staff, and allies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. We strongly condemn the witch-hunt by the Indian government targeting students on campus and the onslaught on the elected Student’s Union. The Union’s President, Kanhaiya Kumar, among five others, have been charged with sedition due to an event that took place in the campus on February 9, 2016. We believe the sedition charges inappropriate since there was no incitement to violence. We condemn the violent attack on the students, teachers, and media-persons in the court where Kanhaiya was presented. We believe this attempt to interfere with due process of law represents an attack on not only on civil liberties, but also on fundamental rights.

It is deeply disturbing to note public debate around this on the mainstream Indian media, especially the television news channels and social media that is replete with threats of violence against those who are now branded ‘anti-national’. The contention is that universities should not be spaces of political engagement, but of quiet ‘apolitical’ scholarly repose. As students and researchers committed to the principles of transnational social justice, it is distressing to note the attempts to tarnish the university and those associated with it as ‘anti-national.’

As scholars who have studied in, debated with, learnt from, and found solidarity in Jawaharlal Nehru University, since its establishment in 1969, we are disappointed to note the Delhi Police’s apparent inability to track down the people who attacked Kanhaiya Kumar in court premises, while it launches a country-wide hunt for another student leader, Umar Khalid, who was falsely branded as an associate of a terrorist organization and subjected to a speedy media trial. It is with rising alarm that we register that the University’s library website has been hacked and the institution has been subjected to surveillance by the police. Increasingly, we see how sites of higher education like the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and the University of Hyderabad (UoH) are becoming sites of state persecution.

As scholars living and working in Canada, we recognize the importance of academic and political freedom. The threat posed to academic freedom by governments motivated by political expedience and the intoxication of power knows no borders, and a threat to academic freedom anywhere is a threat to freedom everywhere. We stand with our colleagues in India and call upon the Indian government to stop its anti-democratic action against the students of JNU.

To our fellow students, faculty and staff at JNU: we extend our support and solidarity and stand with you in this struggle.

(An earlier version of this statement has been signed by the department of Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice at the University of British Columbia. This statement has been modified to include scholars who seek to show solidarity with the very idea of India as represented by the Jawaharlal Nehru University today.)

We #StandwithJNU

Signed,

1. Shruti Buddhavarapu, University of British Columbia, Unceded Musqueam Territory

2. Aprajita Sarcar, Queen’s University, Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe Territory

3. Sanober Umar, Queen’s University, Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe Territory

4. Tanvi Sirari, University of British Columbia, Unceded Musqueam Territory

5. Harshita Yalamarty, Yorke University, Toronto

6. Parnisha Sarkar, University of Toronto, Toronto

7. Reeju Ray, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario

8. Patrick Corbeil, Queen’s University, Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe Territory

9. Ishita Pande, Queen’s University, Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe Territory

10. Meghana Rao, University of Toronto, Toronto

11. Rachel Berger, Concordia University, Tiotià:ke, unceded Mohawk/Kahnawake territory

12. Kamal Arora, University of British Columbia, Unceded Musqueam Territory

13. Sanjeev Routray, University Of British Columbia, Unceded Musqueam Territory

14. Richa Sharma, University of British Columbia, Unceded Musqueam Territory

15. Prajna Rao, University of British Columbia, Unceded Musqueam Territory

16. Bhavani Raman, University of Toronto, Toronto

17. Akshaya Tankha, Doctoral Candidate, University of Toronto

18. Renisa Mawani, University of British Columbia, Unceded Musqueam Territory

19. D. Alissa Trotz, University of Toronto, Toronto

20. Natalie Rothman, University of Toronto, Toronto

21. Dina Al-Kassim, University of British Columbia, Unceded Musqueam Territory

22. Tanveer Pratap, University of Victoria, Victoria

23. Sunera Thobani, University of British Columbia, Unceded Musqueam Territory

24. Prasad Khanolkar, University of Toronto, Toronto

25. Vertika, McGill University, Montreal

26. Sabina Chatterjee, York University, Anishnaabe and Haudenosaunee Territory

27. Magnolia Pauker, University of British Columbia, Unceded Musqueam Territory

28. Michelle Murphy, University of Toronto, Toronto

29. Nishant Upadhyay, York University, Mississaugas of New Credit Territories (Toronto)

30. Sean Grisdale, University of Toronto, Toronto, CA

31. Dr Tsering Shakya, University of British Columbia, Unceded Musqueam Territory

32. Tashi Tsering, Mount Royal University, Calgary

33. Dharashree Das, Simon Fraser University

34. Malavika Kasturi, University of Toronto

35. Shwetha Govindan, McGill University, Montreal

36. Senjuti Kundu, McGill University, Montreal

37. Anwesha Ghosh, University of Toronto, Toronto

38. Sonam Yangzom, University of Toronto, Toronto

39. Rajyashree N Reddy, University of Toronto, Toronto

40. Prof Katharine N Rankin, University of Toronto, Toronto

41. Sanchia deSouza, University of Toronto, Toronto

42. Tushna Mehta, University of Toronto, Toronto

43. Rajeev Das, Canadian Nuclear Labs, McGill University, Montreal

44. Mohit Malhotra, York University

45. Espen Stranger-Johannessen, University of British Columbia

46. Sanjay Tewari, JNU SES 1990 Class

47. Elliot Hanowski, University of Winnipeg

48. Sara Shneiderman, University of British Columbia

49. Rajarshi Sengupta, University of British Columbia

50. Heena Mistry, Queen’s University

51. Jesse Henderson, University of Toronto, Toronto

52. Dia Da Costa, University of Alberta

53. Kajri Jain, University of Toronto, Toronto

54. Shubhra Gururani, York University

55. Kristi Carey, University of British Columbia, Unceded Musqueam Territory

56. Ilan Kapoor, York University, Toronto

57. Guillaume Dandurand, York University

58. Pooja Parmar, University of Victoria, Coast and Straits Salish peoples’ traditional territories

59. Radhika Mongia, York University, Toronto

60. Ajay Bhardwaj, University of British Columbia, Unceded Musqueam Territory

61. Upasana Thakkar. University of British Columbia, Unceded Musqueam Territory

62. Chandrima Chakraborty, McMaster University, Hamilton

63. Stefan Kipfer, Associate Professor, York University

64. Darren J. Patrick, PhD Candidate, York University

65. Dr. Sundar Viswanathan, York University, Toronto

66. Dr Tania Das Gupta, York University, Toronto

67. Prof. Luin Goldring, York University, Toronto

68. Gaurav Singh, McGill University, Montreal

69. Anita Sivabalan, University of Toronto, Toronto

70. Ajay Rao, University of Toronto, Toronto

71. Anil Varughese, Carleton University

72. Francis Cody, University of Toronto, Toronto

73. Prashanta Dhar, University of Toronto, Toronto

74. Supriya Routh, University of Victoria

75. Nalini Persram, York University, Toronto

76. E.C. Woodley, University of Toronto, Toronto, CA

77. Deborah Cowen, University of Toronto

78.Soma Chatterjee, York University, Toronto

79. Srilata Raman, University of Toronto

80. Chaahat Singh, University of British Colimbia

81. Helina Gebremedhen, University of Toronto

82. Kerim Karal, Queen’s University

83. Sajdeep Soomal, McGill University

84. Sabin Ninglekhu, University of Toronto