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Journalism of Courage
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc ), Bangalore stopped civil rights activist and journalist Teesta Setalvad from entering the institution ahead of her talk on Communal Harmony and Justice, scheduled on Wednesday at 5 pm.
The discussion was organised by ‘Break The Silence’, a student group in IISc. According to members of Break The Silence, permission was sought from the registrar of IISc for the event to be held at the CCS Seminar Hall. However, on the day of the event, with no intimation or notice, the institution directed the security personnel to stop Setalvad from entering the campus, minutes before the event, alleged the student group.
Later, faculty members of IISc intervened, challenging the denial of entry to Setalvad. Only after their intervention was Setalvad allowed to enter the institution.
However, the discussion did not take place as planned in the seminal hall. The venue was moved to Sarvam Complex near the cafeteria and the discussion began at around 5:45 pm and went on till 8 pm.
In fact, students from other colleges who were invited to the discussion were turned away by the institution. Later around 45 attendees including faculty members and students of IISc, participated in the discussion.
The discussions revolved around topics such as evolving riot patterns, the challenges harmony, scientific rationality pose to certain ideologies, and the utilisation of social media for spreading hate. Setalvad is the secretary of Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), an organisation formed to advocate for the victims of 2002 Gujarat riots. In June 2022, she was arrested by the Anti Terrorism Squad of Gujarat Police for allegedly conspiring to implicate the Gujarat government functionaries in the 2002 Gujarat Riots. However, the Supreme Court granted her interim bail on the ground that she was a woman, leaving the decision of regular bail to the Gujarat High Court after which she was released from jail.
A participant who was part of the discussion said, “It was undemocratic to block the entry of Setalvad. Such a premier institution was supposed to uphold freedom of expression. But doing otherwise is condemnable.”
The Indian Express tried reaching out to the IISc registrar’s office for comments, however, the office declined to comment.
In a similar incident in July, more than 500 scientists, academics, and students had written to the director of IISc Bangalore to protest the last-minute cancellation of a discussion that was to be led by student activists Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita and urge the institute to ensure the freedom of expression for members of IISc. Narwal and Kalita were arrested in May 2020 for their alleged role in the Northeast Delhi riots conspiracy case and were later booked under the UAPA.
