IISER Pune cancels talks by women academics, anti-caste activists after ABVP protest

The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, has cancelled talks by three women academics and anti-caste activists after the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) approached police against inviting alleged “members of the extreme Left” for the event. In a statement issued on Friday, the institute said the decision was taken “to avoid controversy.”

The talks by academics and activists Deepali Salve, Nazima Parveen, and Smita M Patil were scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at IISER campus as part of the Muktiparv programme to mark the birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar.

“These talks were planned as part of Muktiparv, a student-driven initiative featuring external speakers who are scholars and experts in social equality, caste, and gender. The organisers, including students and faculty mentors, had followed due process, ensuring that the content of the event would not be objectionable. However, given the concerns raised, the institute has decided not to go ahead with the scheduled talks,” the institute said in its statement.

“IISER remains committed to the values championed by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar—not only during the Ambedkar Jayanti celebrations this weekend, but throughout the year,” it added.

Earlier, ABVP activists, led by Atharva Kulkarni, pradesh mantri for Western Maharashtra, met Pune police officials and IISER director Sunil Bhagwat to register their protest. “Ambedkar Jayanti should be celebrated at every institution. But why did IISER invite members of the extreme Left, whose ideology Babasaheb opposed all his life?” Kulkarni said.

He alleged that last year’s Muktiparv event had featured comments that “hurt public sentiment.”