2 weeks ago
Why JNU Cancelling Umar Khalid's Book Talk Matters
A big university in India called JNU planned to hold a talk about a book by a scholar named Umar Khalid.
The talk was about the history of Adivasi people, who are Indigenous communities in India.
The university had approved the event and booked the room.
But just before it was supposed to happen, the university cancelled it, saying that some information was not shared.
The people who helped organise the event say the dean in charge knew everything.
Umar Khalid wrote the book from research he did for his PhD degree.
He has been in jail for almost six years, even though he has never been found guilty of anything.
Many people think the university cancelled the talk because it was afraid, not because of a real rule problem.
Other universities in India have cancelled similar events too.
Some experts say this shows that academic freedom, or the freedom to study and discuss ideas, is getting weaker in India.
JNU cancelled an approved discussion on Umar Khalid's PhD thesis, published as the book 'Fractured Communities: Adivasi Histories and the Politics of Power'.
The university cited 'non-disclosure of full facts,' while students' and teachers' association secretaries said the Dean who granted permission was 'fully informed.'
The event was planned to mark the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples; the thesis had been passed by JNU's Centre for Historical Studies after a Delhi High Court order forced its acceptance.
Khalid has been detained without trial under UAPA for nearly six years and is spending his sixth consecutive birthday in custody this week.
The writer links the cancellation to a broader pattern, including Delhi University's cancellation of a Nandini Sundar seminar and India's record-low 2025 Academic Freedom Index score of 0.14.
- Who
- Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), which cancelled the event, and Umar Khalid, the scholar whose thesis was to be discussed.
- What
- Cancellation of an approved discussion on Umar Khalid's PhD thesis, 'Fractured Communities: Adivasi Histories and the Politics of Power', published as a book.
- Where
- Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), India.
- When
- On Sunday, ahead of an event planned to mark the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples.
- Why
- The university cited 'non-disclosure of full facts'; the writer argues the cancellation reflects a political risk calculation about the author rather than a genuine procedural issue.
Critics and academic freedom defenders
University administration
Reason for cancellation
Critics and academic freedom defenders
Critics say the Dean was fully informed and the cancellation was a political risk calculation — 'procedure as alibi' — rather than a genuine disclosure problem.
University administration
The university says the cancellation was procedural, based on the organisers' non-disclosure of full facts.
Broader academic freedom trend
Critics and academic freedom defenders
Critics see a pattern of 'anticipatory obedience' across institutions, citing Delhi University's cancelled seminar and India's record-low Academic Freedom Index score.
University administration
The university presents the decision as an isolated, genuinely procedural matter, with no ministry directive or external pressure on record.
Key facts
- Event
- Discussion on Umar Khalid's thesis 'Fractured Communities: Adivasi Histories and the Politics of Power'
- University
- Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)
- Official reason
- Non-disclosure of full facts
- Occasion
- International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples
- Khalid's status
- Detained without trial under UAPA for nearly six years; sixth consecutive birthday in custody
- Academic Freedom Index 2025
- India scored 0.14 out of 1, ranking 156th of 179 countries
- Historian's assessment
- Ramachandra Guha called it one of the finest doctoral dissertations by an Indian scholar he has read
- Related incident
- Delhi University cancelled a seminar on land and democratic rights last October; convener Nandini Sundar resigned in protest
Quotes
Former professor and dean at Christ University, Bengaluru
Academic author and former university dean
“"The same university once certified it as sound scholarship."”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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