IISER Pune, a science and research school, has canceled talks by three women speakers because of protests from a student group called Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). These talks were part of a program to celebrate Dr. B R Ambedkar’s birthday. Many people are worried about how this affects freedom in schools and colleges.
The ABVP, led by a student named Atharva Kulkarni, didn’t like the speakers. They said these speakers represent “extreme Left” ideas. They also mentioned that last year’s event caused some problems, so they wanted to stop any issues this year.
Because of the protests, the school decided to cancel the talks to avoid any trouble. The school administration said they still support Dr. Ambedkar’s ideas but felt they’d to cancel the invitations. This decision has led to discussions about how schools can keep peace while allowing open talks.
This situation shows the difficulties schools in India face when discussing important topics like caste and social justice. It highlights the challenges between a school’s independence and different political beliefs among students.
The cancellation at IISER Pune isn’t an isolated case; similar issues have happened in other Indian schools as well. It shows how choosing speakers and their topics can become very controversial.
People have mixed feelings about what happened. Some think it was a good choice to keep things calm, while others worry it sets a bad example for talking about important issues. This event is important for thinking about how schools handle freedom of speech and protests.
