Kancha Ilaiah ‘disinvited’ from litfest due to fear of protests by pro-Palestine forces

Kancha Ilaiah ‘disinvited’ from litfest due to fear of protests by pro-Palestine forces

Academic and political theorist Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd reportedly has been disinvited from the Malayala Manorama Arts and Literature Festival 2024 (Manorama Hortus 2024), scheduled from November 1 to 3, in Kozhikode, Kerala, due to fear of protests by pro-Palestine forces.

Prof. Shepherd has recently penned an article in a vernacular daily where he backed the two-nation suggestion as solution for the ongoing Gaza conflict. His pro-Israel remarks have been perceived negatively by several pro-Palestine and human rights activists in and outside the State.

In a brief note, Prof. Shepherd informed that he had been invited by the organisers of the festival to speak on the second day in an afternoon session. Later, late on October 29, the curator Bandhu Prasad Aleyamma called him and informed him of an intelligence input that there was likelihood of a huge protest by pro-Palestine forces against the article he had written, and expressed regret that he was being disinvited.

“If a minority community that is under stress for intolerance behaves in this intolerant way, it is not only harmful to free speech, but harmful to them. I condemn this kind of intolerance in democracy. Instead of asking me not to come to fest, the organisers should have asked for protection and allowed me to speak,” Prof. Shepherd said.

When contacted, Mr. Aleyamma said Prof. Ilaiah was invited to speak on a topic pertaining to challenging of dominant narratives, but the invitation was being “reconsidered” due to an oral tip off from the Intelligence Bureau about possible disruption at the talk by pro-Palestine elements.

“We informed the same to Prof. Ilaiah, who asked us to issue an official statement about it. We are still to take a final decision on the same,” Mr. Aleyamma informed.

Manorama Hortus’ online schedule as seen on Wednesday, still featured Prof. Shepherd’s talk on November 2.