As students, staff, researchers and alumnae of the University of Cambridge, we are concerned to learn from a report in the Hindustan Times that you may have extended an invitation on our behalf to the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address Regents House here on his visit to the UK in November 2015 (1).
While these events should concern all right-thinking people, our specific concern about this invitation from one of the world’s top universities stems from Prime Minister Modi’s government’s ongoing attacks on academic freedom and freedom of expression in India (3).
Given that your invitation comes at a time when several prominent Indian writers and intellectuals are returning their state honours (14) in protest against the ongoing assault on civil liberties and academic freedom under Mr Modi’s government (15), we believe that Mr Modi’s presence at our institution will bring the university into serious disrepute. We respectfully urge you, therefore, to uphold our university’s reputation for maintaining the highest standards of academic freedom and prevent further damage and likely embarrassment by rescinding any invitation that might have been made.
Yours sincerely,
Faculty, Students and Alumni of Cambridge
(1) http://www.hindustantimes.com/education/pm-narendra-modi-may-address-cambridge-senate/story-LiIrKDMHzgMXw5ka3J6QdK.html
(2) http://www.hindustantimes.com/columns/dadri-lynching-has-raised-troubling-questions-on-india-s-secularity/story-DoXSDHS3wz4twGN2F4WG5L.html
(3) http://www.catchnews.com/india-news/the-takeover-how-the-modi-govt-has-filled-key-positions-in-14-institutions-1436365046.html
(4) http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/british-academic-denied-entry-into-india/article6134355.ece
(5) http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/christine-mehta-writes-on-how-she-was-deported-from-india-for-her-report-on-afspa/article7375878.ece
(6) http://www.mumbaimirror.com/mumbai/others/Ill-ask-Modi-to-intervene-in-TIFR-director-crisis-says-Bharat-Ratna-Rao/articleshow/46546745.cms
(7) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/Kakodkar-quits-as-chairman-of-board-of-governors-of-IIT-Bombay/articleshow/46608597.cms
(8) http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/draft-bill-reduces-iim-to-govt-dept-not-what-pm-said-iima-chiefs/
(9) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Modi-govt-does-not-want-me-to-continue-as-Nalanda-University-chancellor-Amartya-Sen/articleshow/46309975.cms
(10) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Chauhan-was-RSS-pick-for-top-job-at-FTII/articleshow/48025610.cms
(11) http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/historian-rues-rightwing-turn-at-ichr/article7119607.ece
(12) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-34105187
(13) http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/situation-today-worse-than-emergency-photographer-prabir-purkayastha/#sthash.fEJm5kiJ.5DmSsrQz.dpuf
(14) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Inaction-over-Kalburgi-case-Writers-step-up-protest-6-more-return-Akademi-award/articleshow/49314659.cms
November 2, 2015 at 12:58 pm
Yeah, like the British and Cambridge University were really concerned with 200 years of looting of India.