PhD Scholar Apologizes, Supervisor Resigns Over Chomsky Video Controversy at South Asian University

South Asian University (SAU) in New Delhi issued a show-cause notice to a PhD scholar and initiated a disciplinary inquiry against the supervisor regarding his doctoral research proposal on the ethnography and politics of Kashmir. The PhD scholar was compelled to apologize and the supervisor resigned following the disciplinary inquiry.

Background

• A PhD proposal was submitted by the Research scholar last year which was approved by the supervisor Sasanka Perera before being forwarded to the Dean of Social Sciences.
  
• According to SAU’s PhD guidelines on its official website, a PhD scholar needs permission from their supervisor, the Dean, and/or the Department Board of Studies before beginning fieldwork.
  
• The PhD scholar’s proposal was approved by the supervisor and sent to the Dean for permission to start fieldwork.
  
• However, on May 9, the student was issued a show-cause notice.
  
• The PhD scholar uploaded a YouTube video of an interview with Noam Chomsky, which he recorded in 2021 and uploaded only in 2022.
  
• In the video, Chomsky is heard saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes from a “radical Hindutva tradition” and is attempting to “dismantle Indian secular democracy” and “impose Hindu technocracy.”
  
• The show-cause notice demanded an explanation from the PhD scholar and the supervisor regarding their choice of topic.

After the disciplinary inquiry began, the PhD scholar tendered an apology to the university administration for hurting sentiments.

Professor Dr. Sasanka Perera, who is a cultural anthropologist, holds a Master’s and PhD from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Also served as the Chairman of the Department of Sociology (2011-2014), the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences (2011-2018), and the Vice President of SAU (2016-2019), resigned from the university.

The South Asian University did not address what it found objectionable about the proposal that led to the notice issued to the PhD student and the inquiry against his supervisor.