New Delhi: The fallout from Pratap Bhanu Mehta’s resignation continues to widen, as several members of the scientific board of Ashoka University’s Trivedi Centre for Political Data (TCPD) have demanded ‘concrete assurances’ from the management regarding the Centre’s academic freedom, pointing out that two members of the board had already resigned due to the ‘disturbing events’ that have unravelled at the university over the past 10 days.TCPD says it aims to promote data-driven research, policy work and journalism on India’s political life by “producing and disseminating in open access scientifically collected and treated political data”. Its website says, “It also aims at improving the quality of existing public data by developing and providing access to web-based tools adapted to Indian data.”TCPD’s scientific board members Christophe Jaffrelot of Sciences Po, S.Y. Quraishi, former chief election commissioner, Mukulika Banerjee of the London School of Economics and Political Science, Aaditeshwar Seth of IIT Delhi, Tariq Thachil of University of Pennsylvania, Milan Vaishnav of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Francesca R. Jensenius, University of Oslo and Susan Ostermann of University of Notre Dame, sent an open letter to Ashoka’s vice-chancellor Malabika Sarkar.As members of the scientific board of a centre that deals “expressly with political data in service of research and analysis on political affairs”, the language used by Mehta and Arvind Subramanian to explain their exit “is extremely disquieting”.Mehta resigned on March 15, saying the university’s founders made it “abundantly clear” that his association with Ashoka “may be considered a political liability”. Former chief economic advisor Subramanian quit in solidarity with Mehta, saying the university “can no longer provide a space for academic expression and freedom”.In their letter, the board members say, “Without academic freedom and unfettered scholarly autonomy, rigorous and high- quality social science is an impossible endeavour.”They noted that two board members had already resigned due to these disturbing events.“Those of us who remain, do so not because we do not share their deep concerns regarding the University’s commitment to academic freedom. Rather, we wish to reaffirm our specific support for TCPD and its mission,” they said.They continue, “However, our service on the Scientific Board cannot be unconditional. Intellectual independence is a necessary condition for any liberal arts university to accomplish its mission. In order to continue our association with the TCPD and to remain committed to the Centre’s ongoing international projects, we require concrete assurances from Ashoka University regarding the Centre’s academic freedom.”Among the assurances they sought were that the university’s leadership, having acknowledged “lapses in institutional processes,” should inform members of the board what concrete steps it is taking to identify and prevent their reoccurrence. The university should also take “tangible steps” to guarantee the intellectual independence of TCPD, its students, affiliates, and scholars, they said.The board members also said they expect the university to engage with them directly if it has any concerns on academic or public writing produced by TCPD. If the centre’s researchers face concerns about external influence, they should have “recourse to seeking advice or making a formal complaint to the Board without fear of institutional sanction”, they added.The full letter has been reproduced below.§March 24, 2021Dear Prof. Malabika Sarkar,As members of the Scientific Board of the Trivedi Centre for Political Data (TCPD) at Ashoka University, we wish to express our concern regarding the circumstances which have led to the resignations of Professors Pratap Bhanu Mehta and Arvind Subramanian. In his resignation letter, Dr. Mehta noted that “it has become abundantly clear to me that my association with the University may be considered a political liability.” Dr. Subramanian has lamented, “That even Ashoka—with its private status and backing by private capital—can no longer provide a space for academic expression and freedom is ominously disturbing.” For us, as members of a Scientific Board of a centre that deals expressly with political data in service of research and analysis on political affairs, such language from eminent social scientists is extremely disquieting. Without academic freedom and unfettered scholarly autonomy, rigorous and high- quality social science is an impossible endeavor.Two members of this Board have already resigned due to these disturbing events. Those of us who remain, do so not because we do not share their deep concerns regarding the University’s commitment to academic freedom. Rather, we wish to reaffirm our specific support for TCPD and its mission. What TCPD has achieved in a few years is nothing short of remarkable and the network of international scholarly connections that it has established testifies to the prestige it has now acquired. The best scholars in the social sciences and writers affiliated with globally renowned publications regularly cite the work of TCPD and make use of the valuable data that the Centre makes publicly available.However, our service on the Scientific Board cannot be unconditional. Intellectual independence is a necessary condition for any liberal arts university to accomplish its mission. In order to continue our association with the TCPD and to remain committed to the Centre’s ongoing international projects, we require concrete assurances from Ashoka University regarding the Centre’s academic freedom.1. Given that the university leadership has explicitly acknowledged “lapses in institutional processes,” we need to be informed as to what concrete steps the university is taking to identify those lapses and, more importantly, how they will be prevented in the future. As part of this process, we request a conversation between the Scientific Board and the Vice Chancellor as well as the Dean for Research.2. We also demand that the University take tangible steps to guarantee the intellectual independence of TCPD, its students, affiliates, and scholars. TCPD and its affiliates must be insulated from any external or internal interference that might compromise the Centre’s integrity. TCPD must have complete freedom to collect data as it sees fit and publish research and analysis on the basis of that data, irrespective of the conclusions this research draws. Furthermore, the administration of Ashoka University should have no unilateral authority to set the research objectives of the Centre, or question the analysis or findings presented in its publications. As the Scientific Board, we expect the University to engage with us directly if it has any concerns on academic or public writing produced by the Centre. Similarly, if any TCPD researchers face concerns about external influence from within or without the University that restrict these freedoms, they should have recourse to seeking advice or making a formal complaint to the Board without fear of institutional sanction.Yours sincerely,The members of the TCPD’s Scientific Board:Mukulika Banerjee, London School of Economics and Political Science Christophe Jaffrelot (Chair), SciencesPo and King’s College London Francesca R. Jensenius, University of OsloSusan Ostermann, University of Notre DameS.Y. Quraishi, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India Aaditeshwar Seth, IIT DelhiTariq Thachil, CASI and University of PennsylvaniaMilan Vaishnav, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington DC