Ashoka University political science department extends solidarity to ex-professors

The department expressed solidarity with professor Sabyasachi Das, who resigned from the department of economics, after the university distanced itself from his work

The department of political science at Ashoka University on Thursday issued a unanimous statement extending support to two professors who resigned following a controversy over a research paper.

Ashoka University. (HT File Photo)

The department expressed solidarity with professor Sabyasachi Das, who resigned from the department of economics, after the university distanced itself from his work and the governing council decided to investigate his research.

“We demand greater transparency about the factors that caused Prof. Das to offer his resignation and its hasty acceptance by the university, especially at a time when students and faculty across departments have mobilised to support Dr Das. By now the pattern is all too familiar, especially for us as a department. We believe that Dr Das did not violate any accepted norm of academic practice. We strongly condemn the actions of the governing body... The governing body’s actions have signalled to students that critical inquiry can be met with severe repercussions and thus undermines the work that we do within and outside the classroom,” the statement by the political science department read.

Ashoka University also issued a formal statement on Tuesday confirming that Dr Sabyasachi Das, assistant professor in the department of economics, submitted his resignation.

A similar statement was issued by the economics department after Das quit, followed by the resignation of professor Pulapre Balakrishna from the same department. Both departments have demanded that the varsity must unconditionally offer the position back to professor Das.

“Dr Das is currently on leave from Ashoka, serving as visiting faculty at the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (Deemed to be University) in Pune. After making extensive efforts to dissuade him, the University has accepted his resignation. Dr Das’s paper on Indian elections was the subject of a widespread controversy after being shared recently on social media, where it was perceived by many to reflect the views of the University. At Ashoka University, members of faculty have freedom to teach and carry out research in the areas they choose – the University affords its faculty and students what it believes is the most enabling environment for academic freedom at an institution of higher education in the country. The University does not direct or moderate the research conducted by its faculty and students. This academic freedom also applied to Dr. Das. Ashoka’s commitment to excellence in both research and teaching is at the core of the recognition it has achieved in less than a decade and will continue to be its guide in the journey towards becoming India’s finest university,” the statement from Ashoka University read.

The row erupted after a research paper by Das, titled ‘Democratic Backsliding in the World’s Largest Democracy’, went viral on social media after it was published on the Social Science Research Network in July.

In the paper, Das argued that the Bharatiya Janata Party indulged in electoral manipulation, especially in closely contested constituencies during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

“Manipulation appears to take the form of targeted electoral discrimination against India’s largest minority group – Muslims, partly facilitated by weak monitoring by election observers. The results present a worrying development for the future of democracy,” the research paper stated.