The Controversial Departure of Pratap Bhanu Mehta from Ashoka University
Pratap Bhanu Mehta, a renowned political scientist, and public intellectual was removed from his position as a professor at Ashoka University in March 2021. This decision sparked widespread outrage and debate within the academic community, as well as in the public sphere.
Mehta had been a professor at Ashoka University since its inception in 2014 and had played a key role in establishing it as a premier institution of higher education in India. He was also a prominent commentator on Indian politics and society, writing extensively in newspapers and journals, and frequently appearing on television.
The circumstances of Mehta’s removal from Ashoka University remain somewhat unclear, but it appears that he was forced to resign following pressure from the university’s founders and governing board. According to reports, Mehta had been critical of the Indian government and its policies and had also been vocal in his criticism of Ashoka University’s leadership.
Mehta himself has written extensively on the reasons for his departure from Ashoka University, including in a widely-read op-ed in The Indian Express. In this article, he detailed the ways in which he had been subjected to pressure and intimidation from the university’s leadership and argued that his removal was symptomatic of a broader erosion of academic freedom and free speech in India.
Mehta’s departure from Ashoka University was met with widespread condemnation from the academic community and civil society in India, as well as from international organizations such as PEN America and the Scholars at Risk Network. Many argued that his removal was a direct attack on academic freedom and free speech in India and that it represented a dangerous trend toward the politicization of higher education.
One of the most striking aspects of the controversy surrounding Mehta’s removal from Ashoka University was the degree of support and solidarity that he received from his colleagues and students. In the wake of his departure, hundreds of students and faculty members signed open letters in support of Mehta, and many spoke out publicly against the university’s decision.
This outpouring of support for Mehta is a testament to the important role that he has played not just as a scholar, but also as a mentor, colleague, and friend. As one of his former students wrote in an op-ed for The Wire, “Professor Mehta was not just a teacher, but a guide, a friend, a sounding board, a mentor, and a role model.”
The controversy surrounding Pratap Bhanu Mehta’s departure from Ashoka University is a powerful reminder of the importance of academic freedom and free speech in India, and of the need to defend these values in the face of political pressure and intimidation. As Mehta himself wrote in his op-ed, “Academic freedom is not just about the freedom to pursue research and scholarship. It is about the freedom to think, to inquire, to question, to challenge, to dissent, and to speak truth to power.”
