The South Asian University (SAU) has asked the students enrolling in its fresh academic session to give an undertaking that they will neither join any agitation or strike nor participate in any activity that has a “tendency to disturb peace” on the campus. It has also asked them to declare that they are not suffering from any “psychiatric or psychological disorder”. Many students called the undertaking “discriminatory” but said the university was leaving them with no choice but to sign it. “It is against the democratic principles of our country… If we don’t sign it, we will not get an admission here,” a student told The Indian Express. “I wanted to study at SAU because I believe it is one of the best universities for pursuing my Master’s because it is an international university in India and has good opportunities… but we cannot raise our voice anymore because of this undertaking.” SAU is an international university sponsored by eight SAARC countries. The ‘General Declaration’ or ‘Undertaking’ is part of the university’s admission guidelines for the 2023-24 session and was emailed to students who have already secured a provisional admission. One of the 13 points listed in it reads: “I hereby declare that I will neither join in any agitation/ strike for the purpose of forcing the authorities of the University to resolve any problem, nor will I participate in any activity which has a tendency to disturb the peace and tranquility of academic environment of the SAU campus/or its Hostel premises.” It further states: “I also declare that I am not suffering from any serious/ contagious ailment and/or any psychiatric/psychological disorder.” The student quoted above, whose registration was completed earlier this week, said the undertaking was e-mailed to students along with the provisional confirmation of their admission. “They asked us to pay the fee and we had to fill the declaration form…we were asked to bring it to the university for physical registration,” the student added Another student, who has applied for a Master’s in Sociology, said, “When I first read the declaration form, my first question was ‘how are we not supposed to participate in any strikes’”. She said she read the declaration only after paying the fees and realised she had made a mistake. “I did not know that it would be that severe. The ninth point talks about a declaration on whether a student suffers from mental health issues and that is very discriminatory,” she said. SAU did not respond to messages seeking comment. The university’s move to curb student protests comes weeks after the university suspended four faculty members whom it accused of “inciting students” during protests last year against cuts in monthly stipends for students pursuing their Master’s degrees. The protests erupted in September 2022 and continued even after the university restored the original stipend. The SAU administration allegedly called the police to the campus twice to disperse the protesting students. In November, after the university announced the expulsion, rustication or suspension of five students over the protests, 15 faculty members, including the four that have been suspended, wrote to the university community and expressed concern over the SAU administration’s actions, which they said had been taken “without following any due process”.
