Ashoka Uni row: More departments demand reinstatement of Sabyasachi Das

In a statement condemning the actions of Ashoka University, the Department of Political Science has joined the voices protesting in favour of Sabyasachi Das.
Ashoka University Professor Sabyasachi Das
Ashoka University Professor Sabyasachi Das
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Days after Sabyasachi Das, an Assistant Professor of Economics at the Ashoka University  left the institution over a controversy regarding his paper ‘Democratic Backsliding in the World’s Largest Democracy’– criticism from various departments within the University is mounting against the institute.  Now the Department of Political Science in the University has also released a statement  demanding that Sabyasachi Das should be reinstated without any conditions from the University. 

Ashoka University had earlier distanced itself from Sabyasachi’s paper that suggested that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may have manipulated elections in a handful of constituencies. The paper spoke about the phenomenon of a country sliding from a democratic to an autocratic way of functioning. 

In their statement, the Department of Political Science says, “The Department of Political Science at Ashoka University unanimously expresses its solidarity with Prof. Sabyasachi Das. Prof Das resigned from the Department of Economics following the University's stand distancing itself from his work and the Governing Council's decision to investigate his research. 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 faculty and students across departments have mobilized to support Dr Das. By now the pattern is all too familiar, especially for us as a department.”

Earlier, the Department of Economics,that Sabyasachi taught at, in an open letter to the University’s governing body on Wednesday, August 16, demanded that the institution “unconditionally” offer Sabyasachi Das his position as Assistant Professor at the University. The departments of English and Creative Writing, in a joint statement, too demanded that Das be reinstated.

The department of Political Science in its statement says the professor did not violate any accepted norm of academic practice. “We strongly condemn the actions of the Governing Body through its interference and the suggestion of constituting a committee, the Governing Body has questioned the credibility of the peer review system and in effect has cast aspersions against scholars at Ashoka and elsewhere. These steps have besmirched the name of the university and its claims of becoming a top research institute. Furthermore, the Governing Body's actions have signaled to students that critical enquiry can be met with severe repercussions and thus undermines the work that we do within and outside the classroom,” the statement said.

“Such action by a leading liberal arts university, which was founded as a bastion of critical thinking, creates a climate of fear amongst the academic community and casts severe doubt on the university's commitment to academic freedom and critical enquiry. We ask the University to stand by its own policy of protecting the freedom of expression of students and faculty, where it states that it guarantees all members of the University community the broadest possible latitude to speak, write, listen, challenge, and learn,” the statement further says.

The University in its statement a few days ago had said that it was “dismayed” by the speculation and debate around the paper. “To the best of our knowledge, the paper in question has not yet completed a critical review process and has not been published in an academic journal. Social media activity or public activism by Ashoka faculty, students or staff in their individual capacity does not reflect the stand of the University,” they said.

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