Nivedita Menon. Credit: Pradeep JeganathanIn response to a police complaint filed by the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata party against JNU professor Nivedita Menon for statements she made in a lecture about Kashmir, a group of leading academics and scholars from around the world have issued a statement calling on the university authorities to defend the feminist scholar and “protect the sanctity of university debate”. Vicious Campaign against Feminist ScholarWe, the undersigned, wish to express our shock and indignation at the vicious right wing media campaign conducted over the past few days against well-known feminist scholar and Jawaharlal Nehru University professor Nivedita Menon.This media campaign mischievously decontextualises her lecture at the public teach-in programme in JNU with the use of selective clips and inflammatory commentary.The television channel Zee has led the main campaign by branding Professor Menon as ‘anti-national’ and instigating viewers to take action. Such branding is tantamount to a television channel acting as both judge and jury, and directly placing an individual’s rights and safety under threat.The use of television media to attack intellectuals and instigate vigilante action is a feature of authoritarian regimes worldwide. Similar tendencies are visible in recent months in India. Singling out individuals and creating a mass-frenzy against them by using the medium of TV is a dangerous trend that directly incites and encourages violence. This is a deep disregard for any process of law.We saw Zee TV do this earlier when doctored videos became the basis of arrest and harassment of JNU students. In this case, Twitter and social media campaigns have followed attacks on Professor Menon, demanding the framing of sedition charges against her and wielding open threats of rape. Most disturbingly, there are media reports of police complaints filed by interested parties demanding ‘action’ against Professor Menon.Professor Menon is a renowned scholar and feminist thinker; her texts are used in university syllabi worldwide. As a prominent scholar and activist she has intervened in academic and public debates for decades. Professor Menon has also been known as an inspiring teacher for 30 years, guiding generations of students who now work in India and abroad. She has never shied away from intellectual debate in academic and public forums, passionately intervening in debates on feminism and social theory. This is the first time that her own freedom to articulate her ideas has been so viciously attacked in an orchestrated media campaign.The freedom to articulate ideas is the basis of a university. When opinions voiced in a public lecture by an academic are made part of a selective media campaign that seeks not to debate but simply to malign, both democracy and the university are under threat.What is under question are not just Professor Menon’s ideas but also the very freedom for academics and citizens. We condemn this media campaign and associated threats, urging all academics and intellectuals to stand with Professor Menon at this time.We call on the Vice Chancellor of JNU to swiftly defend Professor Menon from such attacks and protect the sanctity of university debate.We urge the JNU administration to stand by its faculty’s right to hold individual opinions and condemn all efforts to diminish this. We call on the university to immediately ensure that freedoms that form its very academic basis are not eroded in this moment. We call further for every censure and action against the unlawful actions of the television channels in question. Finally, we urge all well wishers of a democratic India to stand by Professor Menon for their own freedoms, and not just hers.Gananath Obeyesekere, Professor of Anthropology, Emeritus, Princeton UniversityPartha Chatterjee, Professor of Anthropology, Columbia UniversityMahmood Mamdani, Professor of Government and International Affairs, Columbia UniversityGopal Guru, Professor, Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru UniversitySumit Sarkar, former Professor of History, University of DelhiTanika Sarkar, Professor of History, Jawaharlal Nehru UniversitySudhir Chandra, historian based in DelhiNayanjot Lahiri, Professor of History, Ashoka University.Mrinalini Sinha, Professor, University of MichiganTimothy Mitchell, Professor of Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies, Columbia UniversityDipesh Chakrabarty, Professor of History, University of Chicago, USAGyan Prakash, Professor of History, Princeton UniversitySanjay Subrahmanyam, Professor of History, UCLAHomi Bhabha, Professor of English and Director, Mahindra Humanities Center, Harvard UniversityRosalind C. Morris, Professor of Anthropology, Columbia UniversityDavid Hardiman, Emeritus Professor of History, University of WarwickAkeel Bilgrami, Professor of Philosophy, Columbia UniversityVeena Das, Professor of Anthropology, Johns Hopkins UniversityAnia Loomba, Professor of English, University of PennsylvaniaMichael Taussig, Professor of Anthropology, Columbia University, New YorkSundar Sarukkai, Professor of Philosophy, Manipal UniversityPradeep Jeganathan, Professor of Sociology,Shiv Nadar UniversityKavita Panjabi, Professor, Jadavpur University, KolkataIsabel Hofmeyr, Professor of African Languages and Literature, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South AfricaShireen Hassim, Professor of Political Science, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South AfricaSrila Roy, Professor of Sociology, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South AfricaKelly Gillespie, Professor of Anthropology, Witwatersrand University, Johannesburg, South AfricaIvor Chipkin, Director Public Affairs Research Institute, JohannesburgPremesh Lalu, Professor, Director, DST/NRF Flagship on Critical Thought in African Humanities, University of the Western CapeLila Abu-Lughod, Professor, Columbia UniversitySheldon Pollock, Professor of Sanskrit and South Asian Studies,Columbia University, New YorkHamid Dabashi, Professor, Columbia University, New YorkFirdous Azim, Department of English and Humanities, BRAC University, Dhaka, BangladeshKama Maclean, Associate Professor, South Asian and World History, School of Humanities and Languages, UNSW AustraliaAshwin, Independent Researcher, based in Azim Premji University, BangaloreV. J. Varghese, Assistant Professor, Department of History, University of HyderabadJosé Emilio Burucúa, Fellow member of the Institut d’Études Avancées, Nantes, FranceDanai Mupotsa, Lecturer, African Literature, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgVashna Jagarnath, Senior Lecturer, History Department, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South AfricaThiven Reddy, Department of Political Studies, University of Cape TownRuchi Chaturvedi, Lecturer, Department of Sociology, University of Cape Town, South AfricaPatrick Olivelle, Professor, University of Texas at Austin, USASambuddha Sen, Professor, Shiv Nadar UniversityHina Saiyada, Filmmaker, MumbaiAsanda Benya, University of Cape Town, Dept of Sociology, South AfricaRavindran Sriramachandran, Dept. of Anthropology/ Sociology, Ashoka UniversityKoni Benson, University of Cape TownVedita Cowaloosur, Postdoc Fellow at Stellenbosch University, South AfricaEnocent Msindo, Associate Professor of History, Rhodes University Grahamstown, South AfricaNaledi Nomalanga Mkhize, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South AfricaShari Daya, University of Cape Town, South AfricaHeidi Grunebaum, Centre for Humanities Research, University of the Western Cape, South Africa.Francis Cody, Associate Professor Anthropology and Asian Institute, University of TorontoJinee Lokaneeta, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Drew University, United States of AmericaTamara Shefer, Professor, Women’s and Gender Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of the Western Cape, South AfricaRichard Pithouse, Professor, Rhodes University, South AfricaAyesha Kidwai, Centre for Linguistics, Jawaharlal Nehru University,Mary John, Professor, Centre for Women’s Development Studies, DelhiRavi S Vasudevan, Professor, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, DelhiRochelle Pinto, Academic based in DelhiTarangini Sriraman, Visiting Fellow, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, DelhiVipin Kumar, Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, DelhiParthasarathi Muthukaruppan, English and Foreign Languages University, HyderabadLawrence Liang, Alternative Law Forum, BangaloreUjjwal Kumar Singh, Professor, Dept of Political Science, University of DelhiAwadhendra Sharan, Associate Professor, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, DelhiRavikant, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, DelhiUdaya Kumar, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru UniversityRita Kothari, Professor, IIT GandhinagarRakesh Pandey, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, DelhiShilpa Phadke, Assistant Professor, Centre for Media and Cultural Studies, TISS, MumbaiSunalini Kumar, Visiting Fellow, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, DelhiPriyadarshini Vijaisri, Associate Professor, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, DelhiShail Mayaram, Professor, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, DelhiSatish Deshpande, Professor, Delhi School of Economics, University of DelhiAarti Sethi, Doctoral Researcher, Columbia University, New YorkAbhay Kumar Dubey, Director, Indian Languages Programme, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, De;hiManoranjan Mohanty, Professor, Centre for Social Development, DelhiYengkhom Jilangamba, Academic based in DelhiAnupama Roy, Professor, Centre for Political Studies, JNU, DelhiJanaki Nair, Professor, Centre for Historical Studies, JNU, DelhiRukun Advani, Publisher, Permanent Black, RanikhetAnuradha Roy, Publisher, Permanent Black, RanikhetLyla Mehta, Professor, Institute of Development Studies, UKMichael Neocosmos, Professor and Director UHURU, Rhodes University, South AfricaDhammamegha Annie Leatt, Research Associate, Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research Wits University, JohannesburgTarun Bhartiya, Filmmaker, Member Thma U Rangli Juki(TUR), MeghalayaRasigan Maharajh, Chief Director, Institute for Economic Research on Innovation, Tshwane University of Technology, South AfricaPolo Moji, Lecturer, French and Francophone Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgMathe Ntsekhe, National University of LesothoShohini Ghosh, Professor, AJK MCRC, Jamia Millia IslamiaSabeena Gadihoke, Associate Professor, AJK MCRC, Jamia Millia IslamiaSabina Kidwai. Associate Professor,AJK MCRC, Jamia Millia IslamiaMoinak Biswas, Professor, Department of Film Studies, Jadavpur University, KolkataPradip K Datta, Professor, Centre for Comparative Politics and Political Theory, SIS, JNUKaushik Ghosh, Anthropologist, University of Texas at Austin, USASarada Balagopalan, Associate Professor, Childhood Studies, Rutgers University, USAMaurits van Bever Donker, Centre for Humanities Research, University of the Western CapeDwaipayan Bhattacharyya, Professor, Centre for Political Studies, JNUSanjeeb Mukherjee, Professor, Dept of Political Science, University of CalcuttaSanjay Kak, Filmmaker, New DelhiSaroj Giri, Dept of Political Science, University of DelhiSunita Thakur, Journalist, BBCKelly Gillespie, Head, Department of Anthropology, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgAparna Balachandran, Department of History, University of DelhiC.P.Geevan, Independent Researcher, AhmedabadAshish Kothari, PuneSharad Chari, Professor of Anthropology, Witwatersrand University, JohannesburgAbhinav Kumar, Researcher, Azim Premji FoundationNeema Pathak Broome, member Kalpavriksh, PuneCharu Gupta, Associate Professor, Department of History, University of DelhiProjit Bihari Mukharji, Assistant Professor, History & Sociology of Science, University of PennsylvaniaCamalita Naicker, PhD Candidate, UHURU, Rhodes University South Africa, Former Student at JNUSatadru Sen, Professor of History, Queens College & Graduate Center, City University of New YorkNoosim Naimasiah, Makerere Institute of Social Research, Kampala, UgandaAlexandra Muller, Gender Health and Justice Research Unit, University of Cape Town, South AfricaRohan D’ Souza, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies, Kyoto UniversityJonathan Gil Harris, Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of English, Ashoka UniversityGeeta Patel, Director, UVA in India Program, Associate Professor, University of VirginiaAnjali Arondekar, Associate Professor, Dept. of Feminist Studies University of California, Santa CruzRaka Ray Professor, Department of Sociology, University of California, BerkeleyMaya Krishna Rao, Artiste, DelhiSuvir Kaul, Professor, Department of English, University of PennsylvaniaNathaniel Roberts, Research Fellow, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic DiversityDavid Kazanjian, Professor of English, Program in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory, University of PennsylvaniaMukul Kesavan, Dept of History, Jamia Millia IslamiaLakshmi Subramanian, Professor of History, Centre for the Study of Social Sciences, KolkataRosinka Chaudhuri, Professor of Cultural Studies, CSSS, KolkataRimli Bhattacharya, Senior Fellow in Cultural Studies, CSSS, KolkataRitajyoti Bandyopadhyay, Assistant Professor of Sociology, CSSS, KolkataKiran Kesavamurthy, Assistant Professor of Cultural Studies, CSSS, KolkataPrachi Deshpande, Associate Professor of History, CSSS, KolkataSuren Pillay, Associate Professor, Center for Humanities Research, University of the Western Cape, South AfricaRanjani Mazumdar, Professor, School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNURavi Sundaram, Professor, CSDS, DelhiShirin M. Rai, Professor, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of WarwickMadhusree Mukherjee, WriterAniket Alam, Executive Editor, Economic and Political WeeklyAlice Morris, Director, PeopleCan Services, AhmedabadKian Tajbakhsh,Visiting Professor of Urban Planning, Columbia University, New York
