New Delhi: In another blow to academic freedom at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, civil rights activist Teesta Setalvad was initially denied entry to the institute on Wednesday, where she was scheduled to give a talk. The faculty intervened after the institute’s security tried to block her entry, the Telegraph reported.Her talk, titled “communal harmony and justice” and organised by a students’ group, was “disallowed” hours before the event was scheduled to begin at 5 pm, the report said.After the faculty’s intervention, Setalvad addressed a gathering of 40 students and four faculty members outside a canteen on the campus instead of the auditorium, as was planned. “There was an attempt to block this event – although the students’ group had sought permission for the talk several days ago,” a faculty member who attended the talk told the Telegraph. “We noticed that many people from outside IISc were denied entry for the talk.”“Some of the ideas that came up were how patterns of riots have changed, how harmony and scientific temper and rationality pose a ‘threat’ to some, and how social media is being used to propagate hate,” a faculty member told the Telegraph on condition of anonymity. Also read: More Than 500 Scientists, Academics Express Dismay at IISc Cancelling Talk on UAPA“The discussions were engaging – our Constitution grants us the right to freedom of speech and expression,” Parthanil Roy, a mathematician from another institute who was among those who participated, told the Telegraph. “Academic institutions shouldn’t be trying to stifle discussions,” Roy added.The students’ group, called Break the Silence, had approached the IISc administration seeking permission for the talk several days ago but did not receive any reply. One of the students was then informed on Wednesday that the talk could not be held at the location they had asked for, the report said.This is not the first instance of the Centre-funded IISc cancelling a scheduled talk. More than 500 scientists and academics had written an open letter to the IISc last month asking it to ensure academic freedom after the institute cancelled a talk by Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, who had been jailed for their participation in anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests in 2019.