A letter written by Prof (Dr) S Surya Prakash, Vice-Chancellor of the National Law Institute University (NLIU), Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh read as such, “Don’t take the event seriously and don’t read much into this activity.” The VC's letter came in response to a backlash that an event organised on the campus on September 30 and October 1 received. The event in question was organised by the Young Thinkers’ Forum (YTF), who proclaim themselves to be "a group of young intellectuals and thought leaders based in Madhya Pradesh".
The letter attempted to clear the confusion by saying that NLIU Bhopal does not endorse the ideas that the event had conveyed. The letter came much after the event had already created a mayhem, both at the institution and on social media.
But why?
Students complained that the event, which was supposed to facilitate a space for healthy exchange of information, soon turned into an opportunity for hate-mongering. The speeches were allegedly discriminatory in nature and specifically directed at minorities, trans people and feminists, according to sources.
The members of the Student Bar Association of the university addressed an e-mail to the vice-chancellor of the university mentioning that subverting the original purpose of such academic conclaves has caused apprehension among the students.
The letter further outlines several instances of blatant show of discrimination, for example, the placement of banners of academics that do not serve any academic agenda and the promotion of books and publications that target religious minorities.
“There were instances of making fun of pronouns and deliberations on who is a “real” woman,” mentions the email.
Not only this, a page on the social media platform X named, Yes, We Exist (@YesWeExistIndia) that advocates for the LGBTQIA+ community also sent an email to Justice Ravi Vijaykumar Malimath, Chancellor of the National Law Institute University (NLIU), Bhopal and the Chief Justice of the High Court of Madhya Pradesh highlighting a certain event by Mr Ram Sharma.
They allege that Sharma passed hateful remarks against LGBTQIA+ people targeting transgender individuals.
“Repercussions of such statements are deeply troubling, as they create an environment hostile towards LGBTQIA+ students,” it states.
They further demand the issue be immediately addressed, the establishment of a functional and effective students’ grievance and an anti-ragging cell to make the environment student-friendly.
A biased conclave
The two-day event that took place on the university’s premises was inaugurated by Bhupender Yadav, Union Cabinet Minister of Labour and Employment, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India with BR Shankaranand, Akhil Bharateeya Joint Organising Secretary and a former Congress minister.
According to the itinerary of the conclave, several events took place and a few were titled, “From Dogma to Dharma: Hindu View of Prophetic Monotheism”, “Unraveling Wokeism: Examining the DNA of Social Activism” and “The Bhartiya Way: Reimagining Law, Governance and Economy.”
The posters of the sessions, as seen in Article 14's report, was titled “The Ten Heads of Ravana” depicting caricatures of academicians who have been critical of the government. These academics included historian Dr Audrey Truschke, author Ramachandra Guha, activist Kancha Illiah and others.
Many irate X users express their angst by questioning the purpose of such an event calling it a “sad state of affair” at such a premier institution of the country.
A user named Pranjal Agarwal, (@Pranjal_A_) recalls a similar incident that took place back in the year 2020, and how they were successful in opposing it from taking place.
“It is worth noting that in 2020, the same organisation had approached students and some professors before the Madhya Pradesh elections with the intention of organising a similar event, which was met with opposition. Back then, our consensus was that we should not allow a political party to promote its sectarian ideas under the guise of an intellectual conference, a sentiment shared by the student community,” he said.
