New Delhi: Close to 400 teachers from various institutes and universities, and more than 500 students – mostly from the Delhi University (DU) – have expressed shock at the “illegal raid” at the residence of DU associate professor Hany Babu.
In separate statements, the signatories criticised the Pune police for searching the professor’s residence for alleged links to the Bhima Koregaon case without any warrant.
From the raid, it is apparent that “any text may now become a pretext for the state to snoop into and invade our homes, our bookshelves, our lives and our families”, the statement says.
Also Read: Bhima Koregaon Case: Pune Police Raid Delhi University Professor Hany Babu’s House
“What baffles us instead is the confiscation of books and technological gadgets – containing a lifetime of his research – as identifiable sources of Babu’s crime. The fact that legally obtained and publicly available documents may be imagined by the state as containing traces of one’s culpability is worse than declared attempts at censorship… Is the act of reading itself proscribed in what is numerically the world’s largest democracy?” the signatories ask.
The statements have been reproduced in full below.
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Statement by teachers and academics in support of Dr. Hany Babu
We, teachers and members of the academic community from across universities, are shocked to know of the illegal raid at the residence of Dr. Hany Babu, Associate Professor in the Department of English, University of Delhi on the morning of 10 September 2019. While the horrifying overreach of a search conducted without a warrant has become routine harassment for dissenting citizens, the attempt made by the Pune Police to forcefully detain Babu’s family for six hours and deprive them of any communication with lawyers or friends amounts to extreme duress. Finally, forcing Babu to change passwords and forfeit access to his email account and other personal online media clearly makes way for a possible planting of evidence, to concoct a case against an assumed ‘suspect’.
Dr. Hany Babu is a greatly respected scholar and teacher, who has been associated with democratic struggles both at the University and outside. Needless to say, his active investment in the cause of social justice – through academic writing and persistent litigation – proves his deep faith in constitutional law, and stands in ironic contrast to the actions of law-enforcement agencies like the Pune Police. That the state and the political order of the day will see a threat in Babu’s consistent recourse to judicial redress, over a range of issues, is not surprising. What baffles us instead is the confiscation of books and technological gadgets – containing a lifetime of his research – as identifiable sources of Babu’s crime. The fact that legally obtained and publicly available documents may be imagined by the state as containing traces of one’s culpability is worse than declared attempts at censorship. It effectively means that any text may now become a pretext for the state to snoop into and invade our homes, our bookshelves, our lives and our families. Is the act of reading itself proscribed in what is numerically the world’s largest democracy? The raids and arrests made in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon case as well as the verdict against Dr. G.N. Saibaba and others – both of which are relevant in the context of Babu’s house-search – convince us of how knowledge has come to be deemed as crime against the state.
As teachers and scholars, we are dependent on the diversely rich resources that our institutional and personal libraries stock. It would be an ignominious disservice to our students if readings, discussions and the free flow of ideas were stifled in our classrooms for fear of their being frowned upon by the government of the day. Also, if the law of the state cannot guarantee our rights to our intellectual resources – often garnered over the course of years of rigorous research – our future generations will be left with mere election manifestos for knowledge. The raid at Babu’s residence, we understand, was calculated to produce this chilling effect on the circulation and production of ideas that stand in defiance to the ruling ideology.
We are also aware that the search team raiding Dr. Hany Babu’s house included a panch witness, who was flown in from Pune to testify to the about-to-be-confiscated contents at the site. The other panch witness was a security person from the neighbourhood. This is patently illegal, as per the letter of law. Section 100(4) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) unambiguously states that the panch witnesses called upon to attend on a search must be “independent and respectable inhabitants of the locality in which the place to be searched is situated”. While the first panch violates the ‘local’ conditionality-clause, there is every reason to believe that an individual pre-commissioned for the task – and from within the jurisdiction of the raiding state-police – cannot be “independent” by any means. To imagine that the second panch witness, security personnel from the raided neighbourhood, would however maintain “independence” from police influence is to overlook the professional vulnerability of the cadre and its everyday negotiations with a police apparatus. Taken together, the blatant violations of law committed by the very procedure of the raid make it clear that the purpose was to intimidate a person rather than investigate a crime.
In view of the effects that a continued witch-hunt of intellectuals and human rights activists has had on the state of Indian democracy as well as the future of conscientious knowledge-production, we appeal to citizens and civil rights organisations to collectively launch a massive nation-wide protest in the cause of justice.
Debaditya Bhattacharya, Kazi Nazrul University
Rina Ramdev, SVC, DU
Sourav Roy
Simi Malhotra, Jamia Millia Islamia
Vebhuti Duggal, Ambedkar University Delhi
Abhijit Gupta, Jadavpur University
Parag Waknis, Ambedkar University Delhi
Aadil Zubair, Ambedkar University Delhi
Anita E. Cherian, Ambedkar University Delhi
Gorvika Rao, DU
Mukul Chaturvedi, DU
Probal Dasgupta, Retired from Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata
Rajshree Chandra, DU
Sneha Sharma, DU
Moggallan Bharti, Ambedkar University Delhi
Benil Biswas, Ambedkar University Delhi
Shivani Nag, Ambedkar University Delhi
Bindu K.C. Ambedkar University Delhi
Sangeeta Kumari, Govt. College for Girls, Sec-14, Gurgaon
Abhijit Kundu, DU.
Abinash Dash Choudhury, Jadavpur University (Ex student, DU)
Bidisha Bhattacharjee,Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan
Rituparna Chakraborty, DU(ex-student)
Naveen Gaur, Dyal Singh College (DU), Delhi India. and IPNL, Lyon, France.
Nandini Dutta, Miranda House College (DU)
Mukul Mangalik, Ramjas College (DU)
Hari Sen, Ramjas College (DU)
Ira Raja, Department of English, DU.
Manidipa Sen, JNU
Vivek Kumar, LL.M., South Asian University
Renu Arora DU
Nalini Nayak DU
Pulin Nayak DU
Farha Noor, University of Freiburg, University of Heidelberg
Chitra Joshi DU
Mustakim Ansary, KNU
Roopa Dhawan DU
Shobhana Warrier DU
Saugata Bhaduri, JNU
Payal Nagpal, DU
Antara Datta, DU
Ratna Raman SVC DU
Souradeep Roy (Ashoka University)
Sanjeeb Mukherjee (formerly with CU)
G. Arunima, JNU
Abha Dev Habib, Miranda House, University of Delhi
Saumyajit Bhattacharya, Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi
Nandita Narain, St.Stephen’s College, Delhi University
P R Meena, Dyal Singh college, Delhi University
Alok Laddha, Chennai Mathematical Institute
Uma Gupta, Delhi University
Vinita Chandra DU
Mihir Pandey DU
Rashmi Pant DU
Karen Gabriel, St. Stephen’s college, DU
Nitya Datta, DU
P. K. Vijayan, Hindu college, DU
Pema Yolmo, Dyal Singh College,DU
Ghazala Jamil, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Madhusudhan Raman, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Vidya Das Arora, Gargi College, DU
Lakshmi Subramanian, BITS, Pilani
Anandini Dar, AUD
Nasima Islam, CSSSC
Lata Singh, CWS/JNU
Kopal, AUD
Sanjukta Naskar, JDMC
Franson Manjali, JNU
Nikhil Jain, Dyal Singh College (DU)
Shiv Kumar
Navaneetha Mokkil, JNU
Ameet parameswaran, JNU
Sumit Sarkar, Retd. Professor, Delhi University
Tanika Sarkar, Retd. Professor, JNU
Shweta Sachdeva Jha, DU
Sanam Khanna, DU
Dr. Anubha Mukherji Sen, DDUC, DU
Dr. Rohith P, DDUC, DU
Sharmila Purkayastha, DU
Dhananjay Kapse, Kirori Mal College, DU
Debjani Sengupta, IP College, DU
Manisha Saluja, Maitreyee College, DU
Ania Loomba, University of Pennsylvania
Kuntal Tamang, Motilal Nehru College E, DU
Ylva Perera, Åbo Akademi University
Mudita Mohile, Gargi College, DU
Mitali Mishra DU
Mohinder Singh JNU
Rudrashish Chakraborty Kirori Mal College, DU
Jayati Ghosh, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Nabanita Chakraborty Hansraj College, DU
Madhumita Chakraborty ZHDC DU
Ayesha Kidwai, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Dattaraj Dhuri, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Mousumi Mandal, Presidency University.
Sashanka Das, Kirori Mal College, DU
M. Madhava Prasad, EFL University, Hyderabad
Dr Tenepalli Hari, Associate Professor, Dept of Political Science, Assam University, Silchar Assam.
Korvi Vinayakala, Researcher, Dept of English, University of Delhi and Special Officer of TSWREIS, Hyderabad
Kinjal Banerjee BITS-Pilani Goa Campus
Kunal Chattopadhyay, Jadavpur University, Kolkata.
Pankaj Kumar Das, Raiganj University
Tanweer Fazal, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Vandana Mathur DU
Sherina Joshi. Deshbandhu College, DU
Manisha Sethi, Jamia Millia Islamia
Ayesha Irfan Dyal Singh College DU
Santhosh Sadanandan, AUD
Rajendra Parihar, DU
Keval Arora, Kirori Mal College DU
Vidya Das Arora Kamala Nehru College DU
Simona Sawhney IITD
Nicole Thiara, NTU, UK
Geeta Patel, University of Virginia,US
Mohan Rao, retired professor, JNU.
Sujay Thakur, GMVM, University of Calcutta
Jayan K Cherian
Divya Rao, Warwick University
Carmel Christy K J, IIAS, Leiden
Karuna Rajeev, Lady Shri Ram College for Women, DU
Sandeep R Singh, Ambedkar University Delhi
Jyoti Jakhar Dahiya, Motilal Nehru College, DU
Hugo Gorringe, Edinburgh University
Yogesh Pratap Shekhar, Central University of South Bihar
Susmita Bhattacharjee, DU
N. Sachin, Dyal Singh College, DU
Anshuman Singh, Dyal Singh College DU
Vandana Tulsyan Dyal Singh College DU
P. K Abdul Rahiman, University of Madras
Krishnan Unni.P DU
Mithuraaj Dhusiya, DU
Sukanta Chaudhuri, Jadavpur University
Brati Biswas, Dyal Singh Evening College, DU
Aneeta Rajendran, DU
Stuti Khanna, IIT Delhi
Saikat Ghosh, SGTB Khalsa College, DU
Sipra Mukherjee, West Bengal State University, Kolkata
Paroma Sanyal, IIT Delhi
As C. Nussbaum, University of Chicago
Karandeep Mehra, Ashoka University.
Prashant Gupta, Independent Researcher
Madhumita Das, OP Jindal Global University
Peter McLaren, Chapman University, USA
Prachee Dewri, Hansraj College, DU
Nivedita Sen, Hansraj College, DU
Preeti Gupta Dewan, DBC, DU
Arti Minocha, LSR, DU
Rakesh Ranjan, SRCC, DU
Ajay Skaria, University of Minnesota
Sarbajaya Kundu, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR)
Suvritta Khatri, Deshbandhu College, DU
Vijay Singh, DU
Jobin Thomas, JMC, DU
Sruti Bala, University of Amsterdam
Somsuvra Midya, IIT Roorkee
Preeti Singh, Ohio State University
Somak Paul, California State University
Udaya Kumar, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Krishna Ram, Ambedkar University Delhi.
Shiva Shankar, CMI.
Abhijit Sen, Visva-Bharati.
Dipankar Roy, Visva-Bharati
Githa Hariharan, writer and activist
Robin Isomaa, Åbo Akademi University, Finland
Anwesha Sengupta, Institute of Development Studies Kolkata
Maitri Baruah, Hansraj College, DU.
Shaona Barik, Visva-Bharati
Shikha Kothiyal, DU
Samrat Sengupta, Assistant Professor, Dept. of English, Sammilani Mahavidyalaya, Kolkata, West Bengal.
Archana Mathur, DU
B Mangalam, Aryabhatta College, DU
Tejaswini Niranjana, Lingnan University Hong Kong
Subha Chakraborty Dasgupta, Former Professor, Jadavpur University, Kolkata
Suranjan Sinha, independent researcher, formerly Hindu College, DU.
Renny Thomas, DU.
Ratheesh Radhakrishnan, IIT Bombay, Mumbai.
Himadri Chatterjee, KNU, Asansol
T. V Madhu, University of Calicut, Kerala
Surajit Bhattacharyya, IIT Bombay, Mumbai
Ronak M Soni, Stanford University, Stanford
Praveen Priyadarshi, Zakir Husain Delhi College, Evening. University of Delhi.
Ritajyoti Bandopadhyay, IISER Mohali
Sharmila Sreekumar, IIT Bombay
Santanu Banerjee, Kazi Nazrul University
Anandavardhanan, IIT Bombay
Sealing Cheng, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Nandini Manjrekar, TISS Mumbai
Rahul Siddharthan, The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai
Amlan Dasgupta, formerly Jadavpur University
Janaky S., Calicut University
Anjali Monteiro, TISS Mumbai
K.P. Jayasankar, TISS Mumbai
Supratik Chakraborty, Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering IIT Bombay
Paulomi Chakraborty, IIT Bombay
Dayadeep Singh Monder, IIT Bombay
Bindhulakshmi P, Associate Professor, TISS, Mumbai.
Sharmistha Saha, IIT Bombay
Aparna Nandakumar, Providence Women’s College, Kozhikode
Aditi Das Gupta
Ruchi Mundeja , DU.
J Devika, Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram.
Om Damani, IIT Bombay
Arka Chattopadhyay, IIT Gandhinagar
Lalmohan.P, University of Kerala
Shilpa Phadke, TISS, Mumbai
Sushmita Pati, Azim Premji University
Nishaant Choksi, IIT Gandhinagar
Siddhartha Chaudhuri, IIT Bombay
Ambika Aiyadurai, IIT Gandhinagar
Neeraja D, Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology
K.Satyanarayana, Professor, EFL University, Hyderabad.
Reju George Mathew, Assistant Professor, NIT Calicut, Kerala
Meena Gopal, TISS, Mumbai
Ketaki Chowkhani, Manipal Centre for Humanities, MAHE, Manipal
Pradip Kumar Datta, JNU
Rahul Govind, University of Delhi
Sanghamitra Misra, University of Delhi
Veena Hariharan, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi
Usha Raman, University of Hyderabad
Shernaz Cama, University of Delhi
Rukshana Shroff
Madhu Sahni
Reshma Radhakrishnan, Universität Erfurt, Germany
Wafa Hamid, DU
S Akshay, IIT Bombay
Shoba Ghosh, University of Mumbai
Akash Bhattacharya, Azim Premji University
Purushottam Bhattacharya, Jadavpur University
Amit Singh, IIT Bombay
Kalpana Kannabiran, CSD, Southern Regional Centre, Hyderabad
Brinelle D’souza, TISS
M. V. Narayanan, University of Calicut
Kavita Bhanot, University of Leicester
Anwesha Chakraborty, University of Bologna, Italy
Shilpaa Anand, BITS Hyderabad
Debasmita Deb, PhD Student, Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule Women’s Studies Centre, Savitribai Phule Pune University.
Nivedita Menon, JNU, Delhi
Arudra Burra, IIT Delhi
Sambudha Sen SNU
Sandeep Bakshi, University of Paris, France
Janki Andharia, TISS
Arijit Dey, IIT Madras
Rukmini Pande, OP Jindal University
Denys Leighton, Ambedkar University Delhi
Debangshu Mukherjee, IISER Bhopal
Cindi Katz, Graduate Center, City University of New York
Mamatha Karollil, Ambedkar University Delhi.
Dharitri Narzary, Ambedkar University Delhi
Geetha Venkataraman, Ambedkar University Delhi
Shailaja Menon, Ambedkar University, Delhi
NC Narayanan, IIT Bombay
Somya Tyagi, Delhi University
Yogesh Snehi, Ambedkar University Delhi.
Carole S. Vance, Columbia University, New York City
Juhi Tyagi, Universität Erfurt, Germany
Bhoomika Joshi, Yale University
Hanan Sabea, American University in Cairo
Rekha Pappu, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad
Ajin K Thomas, Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad
Shivali Tukdeo, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore
Tarangini Sriraman, Azim Premji University, Bangalore
Saravanan V, JNU New Delhi
Rukmini Sen, Ambedkar University Delhi
Shefali Saini, TISS Mumbai Phd Student
Jhelum Roy, Jadavpur University, Kolkata
D. W. Karuna, Azim Premji University, Bangalore.
Papori Bora, JNU
Samata Biswas, The Sanskrit Collective
Aashish Khakha, TISS, Mumbai
Niveditha Menon, Bangalore
Aditi Maddali, TISS, Mumbai
Sujata Patel, IIAS Shimla
Abid Faheem, JNU (M.Phil/Phd)
Aditi Dudeja, Rutgers University, New Jersey
Ekata Lahiri, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Gandhinagar
Chaittanya Kumar, TISS Mumbai
Sreejith Murali, PhD student, IIT Bombay.
Anuradha Pati/ Development Professional/ Freelance
Koshy Tharakan, Goa University
Mithilesh Kumar
Dinesh Yadav, TISS, Mumbai.
Usha Mudiganti, AUD
Saswati Ghosh, City College, Kolkata
Rachelle C, IIT Gandhinagar
Ajmal Khan, Ashoka University.
A Sunil Dharan, Motilal Nehru College, Delhi University
Anil Kumar, Motilal Nehru College, University of Delhi.
Surajit Sarkar, Ambedkar University Delhi.
Malavika Kasturi, University of Toronto, Canada.
Anu, University of Delhi
Bhavani Raman, University of Toronto, Canada
Sherin B.S., EFL University Hyderabad
Sayan Chaudhuri, JNU
Sreerag Poickadan, Former Students’ Union President, University of Hyderabad
Aneha Hepzibah Solomon, BCM College
Ambika Tandon, DU
Joel van de Sande, Columbia University, New York City
Deepti N, PhD student, TISS Mumbai
MN Parasuraman, Assistant Professor, University College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Arun Iyer, Assistant Professor, Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Bombay
Swati Moitra, University of Calcutta
Richa Biswas, ICSSR Research Associate
Jeyakirthana J., DU
Shayma, JNU
Tushar Meshram, Indian School of Public Policy, New Delhi
M. V. Ramana, University of British Columbia, Canada
Madhura, Savi
Noel Benny, Zakir Hussain College, DU
Vijay Kumar, DU
Subro Saha, Utrecht University
Manvi Khare, Zakir Hussain College, DU
Vishnu Prathap, Hindu College, University of Delhi
Amal Fathima Abdullah, Daulat Ram College
Anoona Parveen, IndraPrastha College, DU
Sheethal Santhosh, Ramjas College, DU
Rahul Kandola, TISS
Haseeb P P, JNU
Anand Chakravarti, retd, DU
Uma Chakravarti, retd, Miranda House, DU
Diya P Nayim, Miranda House, DU,
Akanksha Yadav, Miranda House, DU.
Shweta, Miranda House,DU
Akhila V Anand, Miranda House, DU
Sumati PK, Researcher, Delhi
Hari Das, Bangalore
Pratiksha, Miranda House, DU
Pragati Jha, Miranda House, DU
Smitha Banarjee, DU
Abhijit Roy, Jadavpur University
Ankita Hurmade CODP TISS
Svati Joshi, Retd. Miranda House, Delhi University
Fayiz Shareef, Hindu College, DU
Maharghya Chakraborty, CSSSC
Anna T.M., Hindu College, DU
Durgesh Solanki, Johns Hopkins University
Priya Jadhav, IIT Bombay
Amit Kumar, JNU, Delhi.
Hafsa Abdul Rahiman, Al Jamia Al Islamiya,. Kerala
Nisha Biswas, CSIR
Savithri P K, Hindu College, DU
Moushumi Basu, JNU, Delhi
Saumya Gupta, DU
Ira Bhaskar, JNU
Rajiv Jha SRCC, DU
Debolina Biswas, Gurudas College, University of Calcutta.
Yashi, DU
Sheevi Saini , DU
Ameena sherin , DU
Sooraj Elamon, Hindu College, DU
Vipin Kumar Chirakkara, EFL University
Sapna Choudhary, Miranda House, DU
Akash Raha, JNU
Favita Dias, Goa University
Violina Borah, DU
Sudipta Kr Paul, former student, Visva-Bharati.
Mehdi Hussain, JNU
Hindolee Datta, Former Student, JNU
Paresh Hate, Hasratein: a queer collective
Nirban Nandy, University of Engineering and Management, Newtown, Kolkata
Sanskriti Rajkhowa, JNU
Gitika Debnath, PhD student, School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU
Ghanshyam Shah, Former professor, JNU
K. Saradamoni, Retd Social Scientist, ISI, Delhi
Asha G, Alumna, IIT Delhi
Swati Simha, PhD student, JNUF
Shubhra, PhD candidate, JNU
Pavitra, PhD Student, DU
Madhura Lohokare, Jindal Global University, Haryana
Argha De, Visva Bharati
Samik, PhD Candidate, JNU
Kumari Neelu, PhD, JNU
Anuradha Kapoor, Social Activist, Kolkata
Sakshi Sundaram, PhD Scholar, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi
Agniva Roy, Student, Visva-Bharati University
Supriya Chaudhuri, Emeritus Prof, Jadavpur University
Suroopa Mukherjee, Hindu College, DU.
Samim Haidar, PhD, Jadavpur University.
Lakshmi Menon, Assistant Professor, University of Kerala
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Professor, He is Our Professor:
Statement in solidarity with Professor Hany Babu
We, the undersigned students, express our outrage upon learning that his house has been searched by the police in connection to his alleged involvement in the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon case which the Pune police are investigating.
While we feel that the law must take its own course, we also make it clear that these surprise searches without warrants are illegal and amount to extreme harassment. It is incumbent upon legal institutions to oppose such arbitrary raids and prevent/oppose the misuse of inherently dangerous laws such as the UAPA. The Pune police has, in the past, arrested five human rights activists, and have tried to arrest other human rights activists but were prevented from doing so after the Supreme Court stepped in. Since then, the Bombay High Court has released Dr Anand Teltumbde after his arrest by the Pune police in connection with the same case. The same court also extended Gautam Navlakha’s period of protection from arrest after it found no substantial evidence against him. The good judgement of our honourable courts suggests that this case is nothing but an example of prolonged intimidation and harassment by the Pune police, and, by extension, the current government in power, to silence activists, professors and other citizens who support human rights in this country.
Keeping this in mind, we also offer our support to Professor Hany Babu and express our confidence in him. Hany Babu, among many other professional duties, teaches an M Phil course on language policy and linguistic debates. In one of his classes, he had shared the 2015 Chennai Declaration of Linguistic Rights with us. Here are some excerpts from the document:
Considering that the current language policies of the Union Government of India are detrimental to the very survival and development of languages spoken by various communities in the Indian Union,
…
Considering that in the name of development, English is given over-emphasis and the all pervasive and increasing phenomenon of English dominating every aspect of our lives and replacing all the languages in the Indian Union in the public and private spaces, thus restricting our linguistic, cultural and economic choices;
…
HEREBY DECLARE THAT
All languages in the Indian Union are considered to be equal and each language community has the right to conserve, develop and empower their languages in all possible ways and means in a democratic milieu.
Given how much Hany Babu cares for language equality and the inalienable right of every language in the Union of India to advance, it is indeed shocking that the Indian state has harassed such an individual. Teaching in an English department, Hany Babu also understood the immense power the English language carried with itself, and helped many of us understand the inevitable exclusions the English language makes possible. Hany Babu’s demand for language equality is allied to his demand for breaking caste exclusions in how knowledge is organised, as his article published in The Economic and Political Weekly testifies. Apart from being a teacher at DU, Hany Babu is also part of the Alliance for Social Justice, a forum for opposing caste discrimination in the university. We feel the Indian state should recognise the importance of the work that he does towards the creation of an equitable society as both an academic and an activist. If any student, or a teacher for that matter, faced any form of discrimination, they knew that Hany Babu’s door was always open for them. As students we do not merely learn from him as a teacher, but are also inspired by his political work.
And just as Hany Babu taught us to care for language rights, we demand that the Indian state accord him the dignity to live with his inalienable rights as a citizen of India. Even if the Indian state fails to keep its promise, we take this opportunity to offer our solidarity to Hany Babu, who is not just a citizen of India (a mere official status given by the sovereign state), but also our professor. We offer our support, our solidarity, our love to our Professor.
Soumyabrata Choudhury, writing of another professor, Professor Saitya Brata Das (who was denied a promotion at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) — one among many attacks the university has faced since the current government came to power), asked in his essay, who is a professor?
…the true professor begins to exist only when we have freed her from all measurable accomplishments, all quantifiable evidence, from everything that can equally be manipulated and falsified. In fact, the professor has discreetly withdrawn from the spectacle, while those sitting masterfully in the audience presume to judge the “performance” as to whether it is worthy of what they call a professor. Like all presumptive people, they are wrong to think they can sit in judgement merely because they have the so-called institutional authority to do so. The professor’s existence is often too discreet for the discretionary authority of the judges to capture. So, while the vice chancellor of JNU misses the honour of presenting Das with a professorship, we are honoured to read his work and learn from him – and to greet him in admiration, gratitude, and camaraderie: “Professor!”
Just as the then Vice Chancellor of JNU had missed the honour of presenting Das with professorship, the police, in harassing Hany Babu, has lost its opportunity to understand the true worth of the person whom they suspect of a crime.
And it is only imperative now that we, Hany Babu’s students, “greet him in admiration, gratitude, and camaraderie” and proudly proclaim to the world, “Professor!, he is our Professor!”
Through this statement we strengthen our resolve to support him and the work he does as a teacher-organiser towards an equitable society.
In solidarity,
Signed by
- Amitrajeet Mukherjee, MPhil 2018-2020, English, DU
- Deepak, MPhil 2018-2020 English, DU
- Kamna Singh, MPhil 2018-2020 English, DU
- Priyanka Arora, MPhil 2018-2020 English, DU
- Aakash Sinha, MPhil 2018-2020 English, DU
- Jennish Moirangthem, MPhil 2018-2020 English, DU
- Ashna K Asok, MPhil 2018-2020 English, DU
- Uddipana Bora, MPhil 2018-2020 English, DU
- Asief Aliyar, MA English. 2018-2020
- Pratiksha Pathak, M Phil (2019-2021) English, Cardiff University
- Vini Bhati, MA English 2016- 2018, DU
- Maulikta Kohli, MA English 2016-2018, DU
- Mahak Jain, MA English 2016-2018, DU
- Ravinder Kaur MA (2016-2018) English DU
- Aiman Gul MA (2016-2018) English DU
- Tarun Sharma, MA (2015-2017), English DU
- Amanpreet Kaur, MA (2015-2017), English DU
- Sakshi Dhaulta, MA (2015-2017), English DU
- Heena Chauhan, MA (2014-16) English DU, M Phil (2017-2019) DU
- Tasnim Nazifa Choudhury, MA (2017-2019), English DU
- Saheb Kaur, MA (2014-2016) English DU
- Charu Smriti, MA (2014-2016) English DU
- Ankita Nair, MA (2014-2016) English DU; currently, PhD research scholar, IIT Gandhinagar.
- Debayudh Chatterjee, MA (2013-15), M Phil (2015-2017), English DU; currently PhD scholar, English Dept, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Girish Dahiya, M Phil (2013-2015), English DU.
- Jitender Jatav MA (2012-2014) English DU
- Samrat Sharma, M Phil (2017-2019), English DU
- Saumya Sethia, M Phil (2017-2019), English DU
- Hiba Ahmed, M Phil (2017-2019), English DU
- Deeksha Yadav, M Phil (2017-2019), English DU
- Himanshi Saini, M Phil (2017-2019), English DU; currently, Asst Prof, LSR, English DU
- Souradeep Roy, MA (2013-2015), M Phil (2015-2017), English, DU; currently, Research Scholar, School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU
- Rajorshi Das, M Phil 2014-16 English DU; currently PhD research scholar, English, University of Iowa
- Menka Ahlawat, MA (2013-2015) English, DU.
- Gertrude Lamare, MA English, DU, 2011-2013; currently, Research Scholar, the London School of Economics and Political Science
- Shamayita Sen, PhD research scholar, DU, English
- Thelma Ramthienghlim, PhD research scholar, DU, English
- Hansa, MPhil 2018-20, English, DU
- Sindhoora Pemmaraju, MA English 2018, DU
- Tina Borah, MA English 2018, DU, Currently Assistant Editor, Agency Reporter
- Seemita Bhattacharya, MA English 2018, DU
- Shuchita Joshi, MA English 2018, DU
- Bandana Sapam, MA English 2018, DU
- Anushtha Saxena, MA English 2018, DU
- Aditi Barman Roy, MPhil in SWS, Jadavpur University, 2019-2021
- Anusha Kaman, MA English 2018, DU
- Apoorva Dimri, MPhil 2018-20, English, DU
- Aindrila Choudhury, MPhil in SWS, Jadavpur University (pursuing)
- Anupama Madhusudan, MA English 2018, DU
- Raghav Verma, PhD Scholar, University of Tübingen, Germany
- Nawal Nagi, MA English 2018 DU, Assistant Professor AAU (current)
- Shagun Lal, MA English 2018 DU, Currently pursuing LLB, DU
- Visudha N, MA English 2018, DU
- Mithilesh Yadav, MA English 2018, DU
- Pooja Duggal, MA English 2018, DU, Currently an Assistant Professor at KMV College
- Abhilasha Kujur, MPhil 2018-2020, English,DU
- Shibangi Dash, MPhil 2018-2020, English, DU
- Priyanka Roy, MPhil 2018-2020, English, DU
- Akshaya Choudhury, MPhil 2018-2020, DU
- Shannon Mathew, MA Media Studies, Class of 2019, Erasmus University of Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Madhurima Sen, MPhil 2018-2020, English, DU
- Reyna Shruti, LLB. Law Faculty 2017-2020, DU
- Ronika Devi, MA English 2018, DU
- Arijit Nandi, MA English 2018, DU, Currently pursuing MPhil in English, Jadavpur University
- Sreya Samaddar, MA English 2018, DU
- Anjali Joshi, MA English 2018, DU
- Tanya Singh, MA English 2018, DU, Currently Assistant Editor at Yoda Press
- Roopam Maheshwari, MA English 2018, DU
- Ankita Srivastava, MA in Global History Berlin Freie University and Humboldt University, Germany
- Shruti Kirti, MA English 2018, DU
- Marshika Chauhan, MA English 2018, DU
- Somok Roy, M.A. History, 2019-2021, DU
- Meenu Lodhi, M.Phil. 2018-2020, English, DU
- Nidhi Angurala, M.Phil. 2018-2020, English, DU
- Pallavi, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Suyash Maurya, M.Phil. 2018-2020, English, DU
- Shruti Kirti, MA English 2016-2018, DU
- Helena Pebam, MA English 2016-2018, DU
- Kenny Kongkham, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Honey, MA English 2016-2018, DU
- Marshika Chauhan, MA English 2016-2018, DU
- Arka Mukhopadhyay, MA English 2016-2018, DU
- Akansha Mongia, English, 2014-2018, DU
- Vasudha Singh, LLB. 2018-2021, DU
- Anshul Mukherji, M.A. English 2018-2020, DU
- Sailen Katel, M.A. English 2016-2018, DU
- Sunil Kumar, MPhil English 2018-202, DU
- Simran Mittal, MA English 2016-2018, DU
- Anibal Goth, MA English 2016-2018, DU
- Uday Khanna, MA English 2016-2018, DU
- Avinash Kumar Badhwan, MA English 2016-2018, DU
- Aribam Siddharth Sharma, MPhil English, 2018-2020, DU
- Kajal Kumari, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Prachi Gupta, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Shivani Adhana, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Manjari Singh, MPhil English, 2018-2020, DU
- P. Ashley, Assistant Professor, Dept. of English, St. Stephen’s College
- Pauline Lallawmzuali, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Arsheya, MA English, 2016-2018, DU, Currently pursuing a masters of teaching at Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia
- Poulomi Nag, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Megha Mukherjee, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Krishtijeet Das, MPhil English, 2018-2020, DU
- Tushar Sharma, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Ketan Mehta, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Asmita Anand, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Himanshi Kandwal, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Aradhana Lamichhane, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Somya Charan Pahadi, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Adarsh Yadav, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Simran Bardia, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Mridul Kiku, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Anu, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Rachel John, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Debobroto Sensharma, Postdoctoral Researcher, Bernal Institute, University of Limerick, Ireland
- Riya Nagar, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Debangana Pal, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Paulomi Das, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Deepanwita Dey, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Safia Habib, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Hemant Kumar, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Shailee Rajak, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Ragasree K P, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Varsha A, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Rashi Chauhan, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Richa, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Heeranshi Sharma, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Simran Singh, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Khushi Gupta, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Navoneel Ray, MA History, 2017-2019, JNU.
- Altmash Ahmad, MPhil English, 2018-2020, DU
- Shivam Yadav, MPhil English, 2018-2020, DU
- Mouli Majhi, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Khushboo, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Eliza Anjum, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Anindita Bose, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Avica Bedi, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Humra Laeeq, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Diksha Chandra, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Mehak Fatima, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Tazeen Ali, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Arnav Gogoi, MPhil English, 2018-2020, DU
- Annie Mariya Simon, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Divya Singh, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Nokdyamen, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Shweta Sharma, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Anshika Sharma, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Aarti, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Himanshu Balhara, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Tanurima Shau, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Himanshu, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Mohammed Zanskar Danish, BA History, 2014-2017, St. Stephen’s College
- Dipank, MA English, 2015-2017, DU
- Henna Razak, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Parvathy V, MA English, 2015-2017, DU
- Arjumand Ara, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Kanika Prabala, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Shashi Shekhar, MPhil English, 2018-2020, DU
- Shivangi Kanojia. MPhil English, 2018-2020, DU
- Kanishka Singh, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Manisha Vishwakarma, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Kirti Bansal, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Iqra Raza, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Ashutosh, LLB, Faculty of Law (LC-2), 2016-2019, DU
- Imesenla Lemtur, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Dikshya Samantrai, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Harikrishnan Menoth, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Deepshikha Behera, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Mayuri Saikia, MA English, 2016-2017, DU
- Mahima Kapoor, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Romey Oldworth, MA (Hons) English, 2014-2019, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
- Mansi Draboo, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Rasha Fathima, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Chinmaya Lal Thakur, MA English 2016-2018, DU and currently PhD Research Scholar, Dept. of Creative Arts and English, La Trobe University.
- Mantra Mukim, MA (2014-2016), M.Phil (2016-2018), PhD candidate, English Department, University of Warwick.
- Anushka Maheshwari, BA (Hons) Philosophy 2017-2020, St. Stephen’s College
- Priyam Goswami Choudhury, BA Hindu College (2011-14), MA Hindu College (2011-12), currently PhD researcher, Uni. Potsdam in Potsdam, Germany.
- Dipannita Ghosh, PhD, JNU
- Titas Bose, MA English (DU) 2014-2016, Currently PhD, JNU
- Indu Kumari, Mphil, JNU
- Manya Misra, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Nishant Prakash, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Debatri Sengupta, MA English (DU) 2014-2016
- Bhaswar Faisal Khan, MA English (DU) 2014-2016
- Richa Dawar, MA English (DU) 2014-2016,
- Heena Chauhan, MA English (DU) 2014-2016
- Michi Nunya, MA English (DU) 2014-2016
- Kanika Katyal, MA English (DU) 2014-2016, MPhil English 2016-18.
- Aditi Nagar, MA English (DU) 2016-2018
- Raveena Kohli, MA English (DU) 2015-17
- Sayan Chaudhury, MA English (DU) 2011-13
- Moinak Banerjee, PhD, JNU
- Trevor Jayaraj, MPhil English, 2013-2015, DU
- Diksha Makhija, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Gayatri Mehta. MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Ritu Jangid, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Shailesh Kumar Sahu, MA English, 2016-2018, DU Currently PhD scholar at Indira Gandhi National Tribal University and co-supervised by Dr. Hany Babu
- Harsha Panigrahi, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Sakshi Saini, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Mehk Chakraborty, BA (Hons) Political Science, Presidency University, 2013-2016, Kolkata
- Diksha, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Shefali Singh, BA (Hons) English, Miranda House, 2014-2017
- Hitesh Kumar, MA English, 2015-2017, DU
- Ritu Singh, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Dipank, MA English 2015-2017, MPhil CIL 2018-2020,DU
- Poulomi Paul, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Bune Bethseba LD, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Sayantani Mukhopadhyay, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Ng Aquiline, MA English, 2013-2015, DU
- Swarnika Ahuja, MPhil English, 2018-2020, DU
- Sanstuti Nath, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Meenakshi, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Nikita Dugar, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Swati Sharma, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Rashmi Mantri, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Abhishek Aman, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Anamika Ahongshangbam, MA English, 2015-2017, DU
- Nilanjana Ray, MPhil English, 2018-2020, DU
- Nimisha Salim, MA English, 2017-2019, DU
- Sanket Sarkar, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Saira Bhanu, MA English, 2017-2019, DU
- Shivani Thaku, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Nirmala, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Shubhangi Yadav, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Samiksha, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Puneeta Budhwar, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Siddhi Jangid, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Aanchal Poonia, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Purobi Banerjee, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Shalu Chauhan, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Shreejeeta Ghosh, MA Englishm 2018-2020, DU
- Satya P. Mohanty, Professor at the Department of English, Cornell University
- Ishita, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Nishita Khattar, MPhil English, 2018-2020, DU
- Nishi Paliwal, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Aditi Sundan, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Disha Singh, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Anukriti Jayant, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Srishti Chaudhary, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Thayee Krishna, MA English, 2016-2018, JNU
- Victoria Burns, MA in Global History, Freie University and Humboldt University, Germany
- Rahaf Salahat, Bachelors in Political Science, Al-Qurds Bard College, Palestine
- Garima Prakash, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Sonali Dahiya, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Shubham Alphonze Mamgain, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Arundhati Chauhan, BA (Hons) English, Miranda House, 2014-2017
- Shivani Kasumra, BA (Hons) History, St. Stephen’s College, 2014-2017
- Priyank Jain, MA English, 2016-2018, DU, currently PhD scholar at National University of Malaysia
- Soumava Maity, currently pursuing PhD in DU
- Nikita Tiwari, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Neha Maria Mathew, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Nikita Singh, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Kritika Chauhan, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Sanyogita, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Ritesh Kumar, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Sindhuja Dubey, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Shubhadip Mukherjee, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Sukriti Kapoor, BA (Hons) English, Miranda House, 2015-2018
- Shalini Jha, BA (Hons) English, Miranda House, 2015-2018
- Anagha Rakta, BA (Hons) English, Miranda House, 2015-2018
- Mouli Tamot, BA (Hons) English, Miranda House, 2015-2018
- Chitra Rawat, BA (Hons) English, Miranda House, 2015-2018
- Swati Mehta, BA (Hons) English, Miranda House, 2015-2018
- Aparna K K, BA (Hons) English, Miranda House, 2015-2018
- Taniya Hassan, BA (Hons) English, Miranda House, 2015-2018
- Reetika Ghilan, BA (Hons) English, Miranda House, 2015-2018
- Ananya Bhardwaj, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Rachungailiu Gonmei, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Aakash Sharma, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Vasishali Negi, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Tanya, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Samriddhi, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Shrimansi, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Diwakar, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Mayank Kumar, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Kunal Kardam, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Harsha Dhaniya, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Pratyaksha, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Susmita Banerjee, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Ankit, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Dipanjali, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Keshav Bansal, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Anil Choudhury, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Afiya, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Varshashaji, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Divyansh Bhatt, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Nandini, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Abhinandini, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Rohit, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Susmita, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Varsha Anil Nayar, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Aritra Majumdar, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Shubhangi, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Divya, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Sabaha Salim, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Vanya Barthwal, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Teresa Ruwndar, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Naveen Solanki, BA (Hons) English, Motilal Nehru College, 2013-2016
- Vinayak Pant, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Sanchita Sarkar, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Jyoti Biswas, MA English, 2017-2019, DU
- Sumit Chaurasia, BA (Hons) English, Ramjas College, 2018-2021
- Sayandeb Chowdhury, Professor at Ambedkar University, Delhi
- Mehak Chuttani, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Vaishnavi, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Saumya, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Shristi Jaiswal, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Priya, MA English NCWEB, 2018-2020, DU
- Naina Sharma, MA English NCWEB, 2018-2020, DU
- Shilpi, MA English NCWEB, 2018-2020, DU
- Anjali Kumari, MA English NCWEB, 2018-2020, DU
- Sonali Sharma, MA English NCWEB, 2018-2020, DU
- Shruti Goel, MA English NCWEB, 2018-2020, DU
- Himani Verma, MA English NCWEB, 2018-2020, DU
- Karishma Sahoo, MA English NCWEB, 2018-2020, DU
- Dayarani, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Sonia, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Sreya Roy Chaudhury, BA (Hons) English, Miranda House, 2015-2018
- Somya Bisht, M.A. English 2016-2018, DU
- Manisha Choudhary M.Phil. 2018-2020,DU
- Kimi Roy, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Snighdha Sood, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Anmol Sahni, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Moksh Kalra, BA (Hons) English, Ramjas College, 2017-2020
- Amit Kumar, LLB, Faculty of Law, DU
- Vidhi Gandhi, M.A. History, University of Delhi, 2019-2021
- Aanand Shekhar, MA History, 2019-2021, DU
- Ananyo Chakrabarti, BA (Hons) History, St. Stephen’s College, 2019-2022
- Nabila Ansari, BA (Hons) History, St. Stephen’s College, 2018-2021
- Suchintan Das, BA (Hons) History, St. Stephen’s College, 2018-2021
- Vighnesh Tekriwal, BA (Hons) English, Ramjas College, 2018-2021
- Riya Lohia, BA (Hons) English, Ramjas College, 2018-2021
- Kaushikee, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Abhilasha Sawlani, PhD scholar from Ashoka University
- Zahra Rizi, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Aditya Kumar, MA English, 2014-2016, DU
- Madiha Rehman, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Debayan Das, BA (Hons) History, St. Stephen’s College, 2018-2021
- Arnaaz Zaman, BA (Hons) History, St. Stephen’s College, 2018-2021
- Garima Sharma, MA History, Ambedkar University, 2019-2021
- Vanya Goyal, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Abha Kumar, MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Ruchika Mattoo,MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Kaustubh Mishra, MPhil English, 2018-2020, DU
- Marjory Ruiz, Masters in Global History, Freie University and Humboldt University, Germany
- Pallavi Rao, PhD scholar from Indiana University, Bloomington, USA
- Kastoori Barua, MA English (2014-2016) DU, currently a Ph.D. student at University of Western Ontario.
- Anjali Thakur, MA English (2014-2016)
- Plabita Gogoi (MA Eng 2014-2016)
- Bijit Sinha (MA Eng 2014-2016)
- Neha Kumari (M.A English 2015-2017)
- Zarqua Adam, MA English (2014-16)
- Srija Sanyal MA English 2014-16
- Richa Sharma, MA English (2014-2016)
- Shashi, MA English (2014-17)
- Nazish Ashraf (MA English 2016) DU.
- Shalini Kaushik, MA English (2014-16)
- Bhawya Wadhera, MPhil English (2016-18)
- Veena Pillai, MA English (2014-16)
- Ankita Nair, MA English (2014-16)
- Snigdha Roy, MA English (2014-16)
- Prerna Grewal, MA English (2014-16)
- Ifrah Javaid, MA English (2014-2016), DU
- Aman Nawaz, M Phil English 2016-2018
- Prannay Pathak, MA English (2014-16)
- Rohan Munshi MA English (2014-16)
- Arpita Roy MA English (2014-16)
- Anuj Gupta, MA English (2013-2015)
- Nishtha Pandey, Batch 2014-16, currently a Research Scholar at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Madras.
- Purandhya Sharma, MA English (2014-16)
- Nisha Nirwal, MA English (2014-2016)
- Geetika, MA English (2013-2015); currently, actor
- Hema Sen, MA (2010-12) English DU
- Shweta Duseja, MA (2011-13) English DU
- Meenu Chaudhury, MA (2012-14) English DU
- Avantika Pokhriyal, MA (2012-14) English DU
- Thinkal Hasan, M Phil (2015-2017) English DU
- Somya Tyagi, M Phil (2015-2017) English DU
- Shruti Sareen (MA: 2007-2009, MPhil: 2010-2012, PhD: 2013-present)
- Jyotirmoy Talukdar, MA (2012-2014), MPhil (2014-2016) ENglish DU
- Students of Department of English, Miranda House, 2017-20: 75 students in that batch; information provided by Shivani Gautam
- Kalyani Rajendran, M Phil (2016-18) English DU
- Feba Rasheed, M Phil (2015-2017) English DU
- Namra Sultan, MA (2013-2015), M Phil (2015-17), English DU; currently PhD, English DU
- Mus’ab Abdul Salam, M Phil (2015-17), English DU
- Brian H. Singson, MA (2014-2016) English DU
- Aman Kumar, MA (2015-2017) English DU
- Azhar Uddin Sahaji MA (2013-2015), English DU
- Anderson Glashan, M Phil (2014-2016), English, DU
- Anubhav Pradhan, MA (2010-2012), English DU
- Shama Jan, MPhil. 2017-2019, English, DU
- Arpita Sarkar, MPhil 2014-2016, English, DU,
- Rachit Anand, MA (2011-2013), M Phil (2013-2015), English DU
- Ayushi Gupta, M.A. English, 2016-2018, DU
- Dr Sapna Dudeja, M.A. (2014-2016), English DU
- Ashima Jose, MA (2015-2017), English DU; currently, PhD in Cultural Studies, EFLU, Hyderabad
- Preeti Singh, MA (2017-2019), English DU
- Ankita Sadhukhan, MA (2019-2021) HIstory, DU
- Sumithra VM, MA (2017-2019) English, DU
- Dipank, MA (2015-2017) English DU; currently, M Phil (2018-2020), CIL, DU
- Ritu Jangid, MA (2016-2018), English DU
- Students of the Department of History, Miranda House, 2018-21: 40 students in this batch. Information conveyed by Gitanjali Malik, BA History, Miranda House.
- Students of Department of English, Miranda House, 2018-21: 80 students in this batch; information provided by Gitanjali Malik, BA History, Miranda House.
- Ishwari Arambam MA English, 2016-2018, DU
- Sanjukta Das Bhowmick, MA (2015-2017), English DU
- Pinki Bhatti, MA (2015-2017), English DU
- Ira Pundeer, MA (2012-2014), English DU
- Pragya Bharti, MA (2018-2020), English, DU
- Kanika Ahuja, MA (2018-2020), English DU
- Sreya Ann Oommen, currently, PhD, English DU
- Ambika Madhur, MA (2015-2017), English DU
- Anisha Koshy, MA (2016-2018), English DU
- Anurag Anand, MA (2018-2020), East Asian Studies
- Sudeshna Rana, MA (2016-2018), English DU
- Afsha Naaz, MA (2017-2019), English DU
- Abhinash Dash Choudhury, BA English (2015-2018) Ramjas College; currently, MA Comp Lit, Jadavpur University
- Rituparna Sengupta, MA (2010-2012), English DU; currently, PhD, Dept of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Delhi
- Hemant Kumar, MA (2010-2012), English DU
- Sukriti Khurana, MA (2010-2012), English DU
- Himanshi Sharma, MA (2013-2015), English DU
- Sudeshna Rana, MA (2016-2018), English DU
- Suman Bhagchandani, currently PhD English, Jamia Milia Islamia
- Ritwik Balo, currently PhD English, Jadavpur University
- Dr Gurram Seetaramulu, currently independent researcher; EFLU alumni
- Meenakshi Yadav, M Phil (2016-2018)
- Grace Mariam Raju, MA (2013-2015), English DU
- Anugya, M Phil, (2015-2017) English DU
- Neerav, M Phil (2010-2012), English DU
- Akanksha Singh. MA English (2012-2014)
- Tabish Bhatt, MA (2013-2015) English DU; currently, PhD, English DU
- Vishal Sharma, MA History, 2019-2021, DU
- Anam Fatima, MA English 2016-2018, DU
- Rajarshi Roy, MPhil English 2018-2020, Jadavpur University
- Ajit Anand, MA English 2011-2013, DU
- Tanvi Chowdhary, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Devika N, PhD scholar, JNU
- Shweta Gupta, MA English, 2019-2021, DU
- Akshit Goyal, Postdoctoral Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA
- Hemchandra Nameirakpam, MPhil English, 2014-2016, DU
- Deepanshu Mahajan, MPhil English, 2017-2019, DU
- Pratyosh Gogoi, MPhil English, 2017-2019, DU
- Linthoingambi Leimapokpam, MPhil English, 2017-2019, DU
- Pechimayum Bidyarani Devi, MA English, 2013-2015.
- Gurpreet Kaur, MPhil English, 2017-2019, DU
- Jyoti Raj Boken, MA English, 2014-2016, DU
- Debalina Pal, MPhil English, 2017-2019, DU
- Shweta Kushwaha, M Phil (2016-2018), English DU
- Anukriti Agarwal, M Phil (2015-2017), English DU
- Shweta Chandrasekhar, MA (2011-13), M Phil (2013-2105), English DU; currently, PhD (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)
- Anjali, M Phil (2015-2017), English DU
- Soibam Haripriya, PhD, Sociology, DU, 2016; currently Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Conflict and development studies, Ghent university
- Rajesh Kumar, MA (2013-15) English DU; currently, PhD, Aligarh Muslim university
- Stacy Vinar, MA in Global History, Freie University and Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
- Izabel Kickner, Bachelors in Biology and Public Health, Bard College, New York, USA
- Chaeri Lee, MA in Global History, Freie University and Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
- Mary Walle, MA in Global History, Freie University and Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
- Anustup Basu, Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
- Arnav Sen, BA(H) English, 2019-2021,DU
- Ishaan Goel, A.(H) Economics, 2019-2022, Hindu College, DU
- Pinki, BA(H) English, MA English (2012-2017), Hansraj College, DU
- Maitriyee Zaveri, BA(H) English, MA English (2012-2017), DU
- Victor Ranjan Shah, BA(H) English, MA English, MPhil (2012-2019), DU
- Vaishali Gehlot, BA(H) English, MA English (2012-2019), DU
- Amandeep Kaur, BA(H) English, MA English (2012-2019), DU
- Tejaswini Soni, B.A.(hons) English (2016-19),Miranda House, DU
- Aiswarya S. M.Phil. English, 2016-2018, D.U
- Dr. P N Malleswari, post doctoral fellow, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh .
- Neha Mimroth, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Jenusha Janarthanan, MA English, 2018-2020, DU
- Tapasya, MA English (2015- 2017)
- Himanshi Sharma, MPhil English, 2015-17, DU
- Purandhya Sharma, MA English (2014-16)
- Nisha Nirwal, MA English (2014-2016)
- Pamziuliu Gonmei, MA & MPhil English (2014-2016, 2017-2019)
- Laveena Behl MA English (2015-17)
- Devlina Datta MA English (2014-2016)
- Nishtha Relan, MA English (2014-2016)
- Bedotroyee Bhattacharjee, MA English (2014-2016)
- Divya Chakraborty, MA English (2014-2016)
- Shuchi Rajpal, MA English (2014-2016)
- Tanvi Hans (MA English:2014-2016)
- Disha Singh, MA English (2014-17) DU
- Sharanya Dutta, MA English (2014-2016)
- Tanushree Ganguly, MA English (2014-2016)
- Chetna Goswami ( MA English: 2014-2016)
- Mohd Nabeel, MA English (2015-17)
- Tanay Yadav, MA English (2014-2016)
- Anna George, MA English (2014-16)
- Kanika Singh, MA English (2014-16)
- Priya lamba, MA English (2014-2016)
- N K Vinutha, MA English (2014-2016)
- Nitika Gulati, MA English (2015-17)
- Ria Das, MA English (2014-2016)
- Saurabh, MA English (2014-17)
- Archna Tanwar, MA English (2014-2016)
- Rebecca John. MA English ( 2014-16)
- Lanuangla Tsudir MA English 2014-16
- Arpita Roy, MA (2014-2016), DU
- Khagemba Ningthoujam, MA English (2013-15 )
- Supurna Dasgupta, MA English (2012-2014), MPhil English (2014-2016)
- Mehak Sawhney, MA English (2012-2014), MPhil English (2014-2016)
- Urvashi Vashist, MA (2006-2008), English DU
- Chandrashekhar Yadav (MA English 2015-17 Delhi University)
- Snehal Anni MA English (2015-17), DU
- Yagya Shreyasi, B.A (Hons.) English (2009-12), DU
- Shreya, B.A. English (H), Miranda House (2016-19)
- Neeru Jaiswal, MA( 2008-2010), Mphil English (2010-2012)
- Paikhomba Ningthoujam, MA Political science (2014-16), DU.
- Debbie Lakshmi Baishya, PhD (2017- present)
- Nandita Tiwari, MA (2007-09)
- Saheli Bakshi MA (2012-14), MPhil (2015-17)
- Sreya Ann Oommen, MPhil (2016-18), PhD (–present)
- Korvi Vinayakala, PhD (2013– present)
517.Nilza Angmo, MA (2007-09)
55518, Kashish Yadav, MPhil (2016-18)
- Sameera Mehta, MA (2013-15)
- Sanjana Rani, MPhil (2013-15)
- Azharuddin Khan, MA (2012-14), MPhil (2014-16)
- Nida Arif, PhD (2017- present)
- Mohd Aleem Qureishi, MPhil (2013-15)
- Shikha Kothiyal MA (2013-15), Mphil (2016-18)
- Nirnoy Roy, MPhil (2016-18)
- Deeksha Suri, MA (2015-17)527.
- Nupur Mittal MA (2009-11), MPhil (2011-13)
- Rafeeque Ck, PhD (2016– present)
529. Sanjay Singh Ningombam, PhD (2013- — present) - Parul Batra, MA (2007-09), MPhil (2010-12)
- Hemant Kumar, MA (2010-12)
- Ishneet, MA (2007-09)
- Sapna Kumari, PhD (2018— present)
- Udita Garg, MA (2013-15)
- Ashish Gautam, MA (2017-19)
- Mercy Jill Jill, MPhil (2016-18)
- Parikshit Singh Rawat, MA (2014-16)
- Aisha Shafi, MA (2006-08)
- Aman Nawaz, MA (2014-16), MPhil (2016-18)
- Neeharika Singh Lodhi, MA (2014-16)
- Rosy Yumnam, MA (2006-08), MPhil (2008-10)
- Rishabh Bhardwaj, BA(H) English, MA
English-(2012-2017), DU
- Garima Baruah, MPhil (2017-2019), DU
- Tamanna Basu, MPhil (2017-2019), DU
- Jaishree Kapur, MA (2013-15)
- Uday Kanungo, MA (2016-18)
- Arzoo Saha, MA English, 2017-2019
- A.P. Payal, MA (2010-2012) English DU; currently, PhD research scholar, DU
- Anju Parvathy, MA (2013-2015), English DU
- Urvashi Vashist, MA (2006-2008), English DU
- Shama Jan, M. A.(2015-2017), M.Phil English (2017-2019), DU
- Khagemba Ningthoujam, MA (2013-2015) English DU
- Tamanna Basu, M Phil (2017-2019), English DU
- Garima Baruah, M Phil (2017-2019), English DU
§
Hany Babu’s arrest is a blatant silencing of dissent
Our colleague from Delhi University, Hany Babu, has become the 12th person to be arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case. The die had been cast perhaps when in September 2019 the Pune Police conducted an unlawful raid on his home, seizing his electronic devices and books, without even deigning to follow requisite procedure. For the past two and a half years, the Pune police first, and now the NIA, have been conducting a blatant witch hunt in the name of investigations in the Bhima Koregaon Elgar Parishad case – raiding and arresting activists, academics and even lawyers who have stood with the most marginalised.
Behind all the bombast and the planted stories that appear in pliant media outlets, it will do us well to remember what precisely the Bhima Koregaon case is. In December 2017, when a range of Ambedkarite organisations called for a commemoration of the 200th anniversary of victory of the Mahar regiment over Peshwa’s forces, through cultural programmes and marches, Hindutva groups led by Milind Ekbote and Shambaji Bhide unleashed a reign of terror on Dalits who were gathering for the celebrations. While one FIR was booked by the Pune (rural) police to investigate Ekbote’s and Bhide’s role in fomenting violence against Dalits – the two leaders have been treated with infinite indulgence, with Ekbote arrested ever so briefly, and Bhide never at all. On the other hand, the Pune (city) police booked an FIR against the Elgar Parishad and went on to claim a larger, near apocalyptic conspiracy – so enormous in fact that the police conducted multi-city shock and awe raids and arrests over days in 2018. The police made stunning claims, including that those arrested – poets, trade unionists, writers, and academics – had been planning to assassinate the Prime Minister. Of course, these claims remained grist for their demonization on prime time television shows, as the government itself conceded in the Supreme Court (in Romila Thapar vs Union of India) that it had no evidence to link the accused to any such plot.
The NIA’s press statement about Hany Babu’s arrest reveals the utter lack of foundation of any case against him, and indeed against Elgar Parishad. The press statement makes reference to vague allegations (“propagating Naxal activities [sic] and Maoist ideology”) totally unconnected to anything concrete. The best allegations the NIA can come up against the Elgar Parishad is that it “encouraged unlawful activity”.
The only unlawful activity that has taken place – in plain view, for everyone to see – was the violent attack on Dalits by Ekbote’s, and Bhide’s goons, which the NIA and its masters are clearly uninterested in pursuing. Their interest is only in whitewashing the actual violence that took place, and to supplant instead a narrative of danger posed by so-called ‘Urban Naxals’ – a catch-all category in which all those who question, dissent, and refuse to buy the fairy tales being peddled to us, are to be corralled. As Hany Babu said in an interview to a magazine after the raid at his house, “if you are in a University and if you oppose state policy in any way, then you can be targeted”.
The Bhima Koregaon case is an instrument of silencing us all into submission. It is no coincidence that Hany Babu had been active in the anti-caste movement, as well a dogged campaigner for the release of Dr. G.N. Saibaba, another academic from Delhi University.
Hany Babu’s arrest is indicative of the way in which this case has been instituted from the very beginning. We appeal to all democratic minded individuals, organisations and political parties to raise their voice against this systematic hounding of academics and activists, and this wholesale criminalization of ideas.
Released by:
Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association
Note: This article was updated on April 20, 2023.