Visva-Bharati Blocks Lecture on Amartya Sen in University Library

Speedy Summary

• Nobel laureate Amartya Sen’s lecture, planned by economist Jean Drèze and Visva-Bharati entities, was barred from being held at the university’s library auditorium.
• Organizers moved the event to geetanjali, a private auditorium in Bolpur. Jean Drèze lamented the restriction, citing concerns over freedom of expression.
• The official reason provided by Visva-Bharati was scheduling conflict with Rabindra Saptaha (Tagore Week) celebrations. Professors disputed this claim, stating it did not interfere with ongoing events.
• After the lecture, Prof. Apurba Kumar Chattopadhyay, one of its organizers and chairperson of Visva-Bharati’s A.K. Dasgupta Center for Planning and Progress,was removed from his position via university notification issued immediately post-event.
• A separate university gag order restricting media communication without clearance from top officials has upset faculty members who hoped restrictions would lessen under new leadership after appointing a full-time Vice-Chancellor.

Indian Opinion Analysis
The recent developments at Visva-Bharati highlight recurring tensions between academic freedom and institutional governance in Indian universities rooted in political and ideological differences that extend nationwide attention implicating globally dynamics scholastic dialogues christally reflecting tests balancing heritage-integrity free expression boundaries exploring fostering inclusive frameworks innovation sustaining neutral trust nurturing India’s intellectual vibrancy historic transparently!

Read more: Source