JNU cancels discussion on Umar Khalid’s book, cites 'non-disclosure' of programme details
NEW DELHI: The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has cancelled a student-organised discussion on a book authored by former student Umar Khalid, scheduled on campus on Monday, citing “non-disclosure of the full facts” about the programme.The discussion was centred on Khalid’s book “Fractured Communities: Adivasi Histories and the Politics of Power”, based on his PhD thesis submitted at JNU’s Centre for Historical Studies in 2018. Khalid has been in custody since September 2020 in connection with the larger conspiracy case related to the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots, in which he is facing charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).The event was scheduled for August 10 from 3 pm to 6 pm at the School of Social Sciences-I auditorium.The university, in a post on its official X handle on Sunday, said the auditorium booking had been cancelled after the authorities found that “full facts” about the programme had not been disclosed.“JNU is a democratic and decentralised institution. The permission was given by Dean, SSS who has taken action as well in cancelling the event. The booking of the auditorium SSS-1 stands cancelled because of non-disclosure of the full facts about the programme which is going to take place on 10th August 2026 from 3 pm to 6 pm. All concerned to pay attention please,” the university said.The post tagged the Prime Minister, Vice-President, Union home minister, external affairs minister, finance minister and education minister.According to the poster circulated for the event, the discussion was being organised to mark the “International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples” and was centred on Khalid’s recently published book. The speakers listed for the discussion were academics Prof Prabhu Mahapatra and Prof Uma Chakravarti, writer Shuddhabrata Sengupta, activist Harsh Mander and Banojyotsna Lahiri, Khalid’s partner.Documents related to the auditorium booking show that the event had gone through the formal booking process. A booking form submitted to the School of Social Sciences mentions the purpose as “Public Talk for Adivasi Diwas (Book Discussion)”, with the date, time and venue specified. The form names SSS professor Avinash Kumar as the faculty representative who would be present at the programme.The booking was approved by the Dean of the School of Social Sciences on August 7. The organisers had also requested that the venue fee be waived, stating in a handwritten note that the event was being organised by students.However, in a notice dated August 9, JNU’s School of Social Sciences informed Kumar that the auditorium booking stood cancelled.“The booking of the Auditorium SSS-I stands cancelled because of non-disclosure of the full facts about the programme,” the notice issued by Joint Registrar M K Pachauri said. The notice was issued with the approval of the Dean, SSS, and copies were marked to the SSS councillor, JNU chief security officer and the security guard at SSS-I.The university has not, however, specified what information about the programme it considered to have not been disclosed in the booking request.Queries sent to the JNU Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit seeking clarification were forwarded to the Dean, School of Social Sciences, who did not provide an immediate response. A response from Prof Avinash Kumar was awaited.Fractured Communities: Adivasi Histories and the Politics of Power was published by Juggernaut in June this year. The book is based on Khalid’s doctoral thesis, submitted at JNU’s Centre for Historical Studies in July 2018. It examines the history of Adivasi societies in the Singhbhum region of present-day Jharkhand under British rule, including questions of indigenous agency, local governance and resistance to colonial expansion.The cancellation comes days after another programme at JNU featuring a representative of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) was cancelled following objections from students. The programme, titled “Empowering Youth for a Brighter Future”, was scheduled at the university’s Central Library and included a session on “Balancing EQ, IQ and SQ”. The JNU Students’ Union had objected to permission being granted for religious events on campus and said it had raised similar objections last year over an ISKCON programme on the Bhagavad Gita.
