Ashoka University row | Prof. Balakrishnan cites violation of academic freedom in letter

Prof. Balakrishnan urges Ashoka University to invite back Sabyasachi Das, who resigned after paper on 2019 election results sparked controversy. He explains his own resignation, citing violation of academic freedom, and praises the university for its commitment to free thought and expression.

Ashoka University professor Pulapre Balakrishnan, who quit following a row over the resignation of economist Sabyasachi Das from the institution, on Saturday asked the administration to invite his colleague back.

The university had on August 14 accepted the resignation of Mr. Das, an assistant professor in the Department of Economics and the author of the research paper ‘Democratic Backsliding in the World’s Largest Democracy’.

Shared widely on social media, the paper claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party won a disproportionate share of seats in closely contested constituencies in the 2019 general election.

In a letter to Chancellor Rudrangshu Mukherjee and the board of trustees Chairperson Pramath Raj Sinha, Mr. Balakrishnan said he was aware of the challenges they face in taking forward the “mighty adventure” that is Ashoka University and has seen first-hand seen how “terrifying it can be to deal with the government”.

Explaining his resignation, he wrote, “I resigned from my position based on my belief that there was a grave error of judgement in the response to the attention received by Das’s paper on social media. Academic freedom was violated in the response, and it would be unconscionable for me to remain.”

On his time at the institution, the professor said he would not be there for much longer and wanted to place on record that in the last eight years, the university has been true to its word.

Calling Ashoka University a “thriving space for intellectual activity” in his letter, Mr. Balakrishnan wrote, “I have written extensively in media, marched on the streets for my rights and expressed my thoughts in class without the slightest restraint placed in my path.”