Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha has alleged that the Delhi University cancelled his lecture, which was scheduled as part of an ongoing refresher course on Social Work and the Social Sciences.
Jha, who has urged Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to look into the cancellation, is also a professor at the institute's department of Social Work.
According to Jha, he learnt of the revocation of the lecture organised by DU's Centre for Professional Development in Higher Education (CPDHE) after the Director Geeta Singh said it had to take the decision due to 'unavoidable circumstances'.
“This is my university. I have studied here and I am teaching here. I can speak in Parliament, on the street, and write in newspapers. But I cannot address the teachers of my university. What is the fear?," asked Jha, who added that he cannot see the University dying and such actions should stop.
Slamming the decision to cancel the lecture, Maya John, an elected member of DU’s Academic Council said in a statement that such moves reflect a growing tendency to expunge debate and discussion in the university.
"This measure represents not only arbitrary high-handedness, but also an endeavour to kill the spirit of academic freedom and academic rigor in the University. Meanwhile, resource persons echoing the political ideology of the ruling dispensation are being allowed to hijack several faculty development programs for the courses being offered under the new four-year undergraduate program. The situation is alarming to say the least and represents unabashed political cronyism," stated Maya.
