Varsity in Kerala cancels seminar on rise in fascist attacks, organisers say will go ahead

A student association of the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit in Ernakulam has said that it would organize a seminar on the campus despite the university cancelling permission allegedly under pressure from the ABVP.

 

The Research Scholars Association (RSA) of the university was scheduled to organize a discussion cum seminar titled “Indian fascism - new forms” on October 8. On Tuesday, organizers told The News Minute that the university had allegedly caved in to pressure from the ABVP and cancelled permission.

The university had denied this.

 

The seminar will be inaugurated by prominent Malayalam poet Kureepuzha Sreekumar and of the main speakers will be contemporary Malayalam writer and critic Sunil P Ilayidam.

 

 

According to the organisers, the ABVP took objection to a description of the BJP in one of the notices about the event put up around the campus.

 

“We can’t keep quiet, being in this democratic country, against the fascist rule of present government. This government enables curbing of freedom in all spheres including literature, academics, art and all other social activities. An insight on this issue lead RSA to organize this seminar,” the notice says.

 

One of the organisers and an Assistant professor of the college Biju Vincent told The News Minute “The ABVP wrote a letter to the university saying that they will create problems if the seminar was held. Following that, on Tuesday morning we were asked by the authorities not to conduct it.”

 

However Vincent said they would go ahead even without permission. “It’s about our freedom of opinion. The guests have no issues in attending it so for sure we will conduct it on the scheduled day.”

 

The university has stated that permission was cancelled because some political clashes had occurred on campus in past week and they did not want it to flare up again by allowing a controversial program to be organized.

 

“There were some clashes between SFI and ABVP in the campus and our program is in no way related to any politics. The clashes were one week ago and we had scheduled the program one month ago,” Vincent said.