New Delhi: An Independence Day occasion organised at Delhi’s Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, the place Jawaharlal Nehru College (JNU) professor emerita Zoya Hasan was invited because the chief visitor, was cancelled Friday as a consequence of safety considerations, after members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) allegedly gathered outdoors the college campus to protest.
Prof. Hasan was scheduled to talk on “Pluralism” on the occasion to begin at 10am Friday. The announcement of the occasion was not public, however the invite was shared with the dad and mom.
Folks accustomed to the matter informed ThePrint that the college had been involved with Prof. Hasan concerning the occasion for over a month, and all preparations had been in place by Thursday night time. Two college members had been alleged to escort Prof. Hasan from her residence to the college.
“As an alternative, faculty safety personnel reached her dwelling and knowledgeable her that the occasion was cancelled as a consequence of a safety menace to her and the college,” certainly one of them mentioned.
They additional added {that a} VHP group reached outdoors the college premises Friday morning, and began sloganeering following which police reached the spot. When contacted, Prof. Hasan confirmed the incident to ThePrint. ThePrint has additionally reached out to highschool principal Anuradha Joshi for a remark and this report can be up to date as and when she responds.
The Delhi Police informed ThePrint that they acquired a name from the college reporting a law-and-order scenario and warning that any delay in response may pose a severe safety threat.
Subsequently, a number of law enforcement officials had been deployed on the venue. “We had been knowledgeable that, contemplating the menace to Prof. Hasan’s well-being and security, the college was cancelling the occasion. It was not cancelled on the behest of the Delhi Police. We solely despatched personnel to make sure that there was no law-and-order escalation,” a police officer mentioned.
ThePrint additionally learnt that Hasan had been receiving hateful feedback and threats on social media for the previous two days. The incident acquired criticism on social media.
“When casual stress on the Faculty from official sources to cancel the programme failed, they resorted to this excessive final minute measure. A lecture to schoolchildren on pluralism, by certainly one of our most outstanding social scientists, is an excessive amount of for our present leaders to deal with,” economist and former JNU professor Jayati Ghosh mentioned in a collection of posts on X.
Delhi College professor Apoorvanand additionally took to X to slam the police. “@DelhiPolice ought to have restrained the lumpens of the VHP, however they compelled the college to cancel the speak by Prof Zoya Hasan. But they wish to be revered as an expert drive.The kids would discover out on their very own who Prof. Hasan is prevented from assembly,” she posted.
(Edited by Pakhi Khare)
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