A lecture on 'Israel-Palestine: The Historical Context' by Professor Achin Vanaik has been cancelled by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay after controversy erupted regarding his alleged pro-Hamas and pro-Palestinian stance. The lecture, scheduled to take place today, Tuesday, November 7, was previously postponed and then, was declared to be cancelled by the authority.
Via a post on X (formerly Twitter), a user with the handle @thehawkeye shared a screenshot of an email from Professor Mrinal Kaul, a faculty member of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, which was sent to stduents. It stated, "Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have had to cancel Professor Vanaik's lecture. Any inconvenience caused is regretted." This was confirmed to EdexLive by a student from IIT Bombay.
Who is Professor Achin Vanaik and why was the lecture canceled?
Professor Achin Vanaik is a retired professor of International Relations and former Head of the Department of Political Science at the University of Delhi, and currently, is an activist, known for his radical views. Vanaik's stance was recently criticised by many, after he delivered a talk at the OP Jindal University in Sonipat, Haryana.
The talk organised on November 1, titled 'The History and Politics of the Palestinian Present' received flak as it was alleged that the professor made several anti-Hindu and anti-semitic remarks during his lecture, according to The Organiser magazine.
EdexLive has reached out to the institution for further clarification on the matter.
(The article will be shortly updated)
