Readers’ comments: Misleading article damages reputation of Delhi University English department

Dear Scroll editors,

This communication is with reference to the article “Why a professor from Belgium was branded ‘anti-India’ after Delhi lecture on 18th-century Dutch text” by Professor Jakob de Roover from Ghent University, published in Scroll on September 7. It is stated that the Department of English, University of Delhi has taken a serious view of this article. We unanimously and vehemently refute all the allegations made by the author against the Department in general and the Head of Department, Professor Anil Aneja, in particular.

The narrative of events, as stated in the article, is not correct. We are appalled at the misrepresentation of “facts” in the article, which runs contrary to the ethos, values and integrity of our esteemed more than 100-year-old department that has always promoted and cultivated highest standards of education and fostered brilliant academic minds over decades, encouraging them to discuss, debate, and express opinions in a rational manner. We are equally saddened by the lack of journalistic ethics of Scroll in publishing anything as the truth without verifying its authenticity.

As far as the factual misrepresentations are concerned, the department unanimously refutes the comments made by Professor Roover in his article and would like to bring into light some “facts”, for your knowledge...

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