JNUSU holds Umar Khalid book discussion despite venue cancellation

JNUSU holds Umar Khalid book discussion

JNUSU organised a discussion on Umar Khalid's book "Fractured Communities" despite the university cancelling the venue.

The event, intended to observe International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, was moved to an alternate outdoor location.

The university cited "full facts" not being disclosed as the reason for venue cancellation, which JNUSU called "arbitrary".

Prominent academics and activists participated in the discussion, highlighting academic freedom.

Umar Khalid remains imprisoned under UAPA in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots case.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) on Monday went ahead with a scheduled discussion on a book by former JNU student Umar Khalid, with several students and teachers attending the event despite the cancellation of the original venue.

As the university cancelled the booking of the auditorium where the event was originally planned, the discussion began around 3 pm as scheduled, outside the School of Social Sciences-II building.

The discussion on former JNU student Khalid's book Fractured Communities: Adivasi Histories and the Politics of Power was originally scheduled to be held at the School of Social Sciences-I (SSS-I) auditorium.

It was planned to observe the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, the students' union said.

JNUSU Defies University Order

The university cancelled the booking, saying 'full facts' about the programme had not been disclosed.

JNUSU had termed the decision 'arbitrary and authoritarian', asserting that the cancellation of the venue would not stop the discussion.

"However, let it be clear: cancelling a room does not cancel a conversation. No administrative order can suppress the right of students to think, question, and discuss," the students' union had said in a statement.

The union subsequently announced that the discussion would be held at an alternate venue outside the SSS-II building and called upon students, faculty and staff to participate.

The discussion featured professors Prabhu Mahapatra and Uma Chakravarti, Shuddhabrata Sengupta, and social activists Harsh Mander and Banojyotsna, according to the event poster.

Context Of Umar Khalid's Imprisonment

Khalid, a former student leader, has been imprisoned since September 2020 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in a 2020 northeast Delhi riots conspiracy case.

He continues to await the start of his trial.

Communal violence erupted during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), leaving 53 people dead and over 700 injured.