Professor Pulapre Balakrishnan of Ashoka University, who quit following a row over the resignation of Assistant Professor Sabyasachi Das, wrote a letter to varsity Chancellor Rudrangshu Mukherjee today, Saturday, August 19. The letter says that Ashoka University didn't place the "slightest restraint" on his thoughts in class, when he wrote in the media or when he marched on the streets for rights.
Balakrishnan, a professor in the Economics department, joined the private university in 2015. His letter was also addressed to the Board of Trustees Chairperson Pramath Raj Sinha explaining the reasons behind his resignation. "Academic freedom was violated, and it would be unconscionable for me to remain," he wrote in the two-page letter, as per a report by PTI.
Das quit a fortnight after the varsity publicly distanced itself from his working paper that alleged electoral manipulation in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. His resignation was also immediately accepted by the university, a fact which is being opposed by the faculty of the university, as well as several academicians across India.
Balakrishnan said that he would welcome the governing body's decision to invite the assistant professor to return to his former post. On the other hand, if the governing body wasn't going to reinstate Das, he stated that he would request it. "As for myself, I am moving on," he added.
The professor, however, said that he would stay and complete his teaching responsibilities for the current semester. "In any case, as I am not going to be here for much longer, I owe you both this letter," he told the persons addressed in the document.
"I wish to place on record that in these eight years that I have been here, the University has been true to its word. I have written extensively in the media, marched on the streets for my rights and expressed my thoughts in class without the slightest restraint placed in my path," he stated.
Balakrishnan went on to say that the university even bank-rolled his latest book. "I did not have to meet anyone or even submit a proposal for this. The publisher informs me that the project was approved the moment that it was proposed. The study is the culmination of my professional work thus far, and is a no-holds-barred look at the economic history of our country," he said.
"For these opportunities afforded to me, I express my deepest gratitude to the foundation that you represent. As a meagre recompense, he offered his personal collection of books to the University's library. I am aware of the challenges you face in taking forward the mighty adventure that is Ashoka University," he added.
Balakrishnan is the author of several well-regarded books. India's Economy from Nehru to Modi is his latest book, which he mentioned in the letter. He had joined Ashoka University after working at Oxford University, the Indian Statistical Institute, the Indian Institute of Management in Kozhikode and the World Bank, as per PTI.
