Ashok Swain, a Twitter user who is known for his serial fake news peddling and Hinduphobia had to face a downturn after IIT Delhi postponed its online literature festival ‘literati’ scheduled for January 23, after inviting Swain to speak. This is probably after IIT Delhi faced wide criticism on social media for inviting Left propagandists and habitual fake news peddlers to speak.
Netizens were seen criticising the institute for its panel selection at the scheduled ‘literati’ fest. Users called IIT Delhi as another ‘Urban Naxal hub’ like JNU and said that a government-funded institution inviting such fake news peddlers is ‘shameful’.
Sad to see @iitdelhi inviting Anti India Propagandist like Ashok Swain and Kawalpreet Kaur.
— Rais Pathan (@PathanRaisKhan) January 18, 2022
They don't deserve a platform like this. pic.twitter.com/8EAOhYXhgS
Many social media users had criticised IIT Delhi for inviting only Left propagandists to speak at the event.
.@iitdelhi 'Literati' event 'Polarised Politics'. Fair enough to have diversified opinion but what's point when all 3- Ajay Gudavathy (JNU Prof, TheWire OpEd), Kawalpreet Kaur (AISA, Riots UAPA accused), & Ashok Swain (doesn't need intro) having pathetically propagandist stance?? pic.twitter.com/EceBtbBzTf
— The Hawk Eye (@thehawkeyex) January 18, 2022
Ashok Swain taking to Twitter on Thursday informed that the event had been cancelled citing COVID reasons. “I was invited to the IIT-Delhi’s annual literary fest panel to discuss what it means to be political this Sunday? Unsurprisingly, the Hindu right-wing yesterday started a campaign against my invitation. Today, the ‘online’ event got postponed in the name of Covid”, he tweeted.
Surprisingly, I was invited to the IIT-Delhi’s annual literary fest panel to discuss what it means to be political this Sunday? Unsurprisingly, the Hindu right-wing yesterday started a campaign against my invitation. Today, the ‘online’ event got postponed in the name of Covid.
— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) January 19, 2022
He further said that he was surprised to get the invitation from IIT Delhi. In its annual lecture series, the IITD had scheduled a session of ‘Political Stance and Identity’ with Ajay Gudavarthy, Ashok Swain and Kawalpreet Kaur, which apparently got cancelled.
On Instagram, the IITD handle for the ‘Literati’ event had shared that their scheduled program has been ‘postponed indefinitely’. They said that many of their team members have been affected by the pandemic.
Swain is a serial fake news peddler
It is pertinent to note that Ashok Swain, who claims to be a Professor of ‘Peace and Conflict Research’ at Uppsala University has a history of spreading lies, fake news and blatant Hinduphobia. He had in 2018, claimed that the NDA government was triggering conflict between India and Pakistan to gain electoral points. These claims of his were also picked up by Pakistani media for absolving Pakistan of the ghastly terrorist attack in Pulwama.
Swain had proudly tweeted that his tweets got the ‘Prime Time Attention in Pakistan’.
RT if you think there is a typo in his surname pic.twitter.com/Hq3xh4TTpA
— Rishi Bagree (@rishibagree) April 13, 2020
Reports mention that Ashok Swain had in past also spread fake news about a Muslim boy alleging that he was set on fire by ‘Hindutva beasts’ for not chanting Jai Shri Ram, despite the police clarifying that it was a fake news. He often peddles blatant fake news that is already debunked and never acknowledges it. He had even indulged in cyberbullying of a teenage Hindu girl who was selected for a NASA internship.
Following the violent riots in the United States in the name of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement last year, Swain had called for similar riots and violence in India for the so-called “extra-judicial killings” of Muslims in the country. He had demanded to replicate the ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests in the United States and Canada in the name of ‘Muslim Lives Matter’ in India.
