On 24th May, students of Ashoka University displayed pro-Palestine placards during their convocation ceremony. A video of the ceremony has gone viral on social media platforms showing students dressed for receiving their degrees holding placards that read “Free Palestine” and “Stop Genocide” above their heads. Notably, the student union of Ashoka University (Ashoka University Student Government or AUSG) has been demanding to cut ties with Israel-based Tel Aviv University since May this year.
It was reported that a petition by the student’s body was submitted to the college authorities expressing concerns over its ties with the Israeli university. The students’ body urged the University to cut ties with its Israeli counterpart. Notably, Ashoka University and Tel Aviv University have a research partnership that includes faculties from the Israeli University to give lectures in India. The petition was rejected by Ashoka University saying that the institution is not involved in political stands.
This is not the first time Ashoka University’s students have made headlines for the wrong reasons. In March 2024, the students of Ashoka University raised Hinduphobic slogans “Brahmin-Baniyawaad Murdabad” inside the University premises. Videos of the students raising slogans like “Brahmin-Baniyawaad Murdabad” went viral on social media. Apart from abusing Brahmin and Baniya communities, they raised slogans including “Jai Bheem-Jai Meem” and “Jai Savitri-Jai Fatima”. They also demanded caste census and reservation at Ashoka.
In February 2024, AUSG issued a statement condemning the military action of Israel in Gaza and “demanded” the “genocide” in Gaza must stop. The post on social media described the horrifying terror attack on 7th October by Hamas terrorists in Israeli territory as “events taking place on 7th of October 2023”. There was no mention of 1,300 Israeli and foreign nationals being murdered, women being raped and hostages being taken to Gaza. All the atrocities of Hamas were thrown under the rug very conveniently.
Not only students, but the professors of the University have faced backlash for their irresponsible research work and behaviour. In August 2023, Professor Sabyasachi Das’s research paper claiming Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did election manipulation went viral on social media after Congress leader Shashi Tharoor amplified it. The research was full of flaws and following the scrutiny faced over the research paper, Das resigned from his post. Interestingly, AUSG came out in support and claimed the research work done by professors at the University is “cutting-edge”.
In November 2021, professor Neelanjan Ircar of Ashoka University made false claims that the portrait of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at Rashtrapati Bhavan was that of Bengali actor Prosenjit Chatterjee. Sircar used the narrative to mock Bhagwan Ram under the pretext of criticising the BJP. Sircar, who works as an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the university, in a now-deleted tweet wrote, “Totally amazing! This isn’t Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, it’s a picture of famous Bengali actor Prosenjit Chatterjee playing Netaji in a movie. “
While his tweet, until this part reeked only of falsehood, he then decided to take a jibe at Hindu beliefs. “And this after yelling ‘Jai Shri Ram’ at a Netaji event. The bankruptcy of political appropriation of independence-era leaders,” the faculty member of Ashoka University added.
The recent display of pro-Palestine placards, instances of Hinduphobic slogans, misguided support for controversial research, and the blatant disregard for balanced discourse on international issues such as the Israel-Hamas conflict signals towards alarming shift towards woke culture at the University.