Gurugram University cancels talk on Palestine, V-C says topic is ‘controversial’

Gurugram University recently cancelled a talk on the Palestinian conflict by Jawaharlal Nehru University professor Zoya Hasan, The Wire reported on Wednesday.

Titled “Palestinian Struggle for Equal Rights: India and Global Response”, the talk was organised by the university’s Department of Political Science and scheduled to be held on November 12. However, on November 10, Hasan received a call from the organisers, informing her that the event had been cancelled.

Speaking to The Indian Express, the university’s vice chancellor Dinesh Kumar, who was described as the “chief patron” on the invite, said his approval was not sought for the event.

“A teacher at the university arranged the discussion, and I was not aware of this as I was not present on campus,” Kumar told the newspaper. “But we cancelled it later as the topic was controversial.”

Hasan, professor emerita at Jawaharlal Nehru University, said that she was approached by the Department of Political Science after an opinion piece written by her on the Palestinian conflict was published in a newspaper.

“They told me it was extremely important to have this discussion on the Indian response to the Palestinian conflict, on both a government and non-government level, and I readily agreed to it,” Hasan told The Indian Express. “The organiser called me again on November 5 to inquire about the title...

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