http://thewire.in/2015/10/17/now-sociologists-join-issue-with-modi-over-dadri-lynching-murder-of-scholars-13389/
Now Sociologists Join Issue With Modi Over Dadri Lynching, Murder of Scholars BY THE WIRE STAFF ON 17/10/2015 In the wake of the ongoing protest by writers and artists over the government’s response to incidents of violence and intolerance, a group of sociologists have expressed their disquiet at the PM’s ‘late response’ and his failure to assert that the rule of law will be defended Statement by Sociologists on the Need to Maintain Constitutional and Academic Freedoms We, as sociologists and concerned citizens, feel extremely concerned about the lynching at Dadri, and the murders of scholars and thinkers like MM Kalburgi, Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and others, and wish to register our strong protest. We are not just shocked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s late response, but also by the implications of the victim-blaming statement he made. To say that ‘Hindus and Muslims should not fight each other but should fight poverty instead’ puts the onus for peace and fighting poverty entirely on civil society and communities and absolves the state of any responsibility for both. As Prime Minister, he should have asserted that the state would defend the rule of law. In a country with some 4693 communities and over 415 living languages, each community is bound to have its own customs, including dietary choices. Individuals may also follow practices different from the ones followed by the majority of their community. Any attempt to impose a uniform belief or practice, on either individuals or communities, is antithetical to the freedom enshrined in the Constitution. It is the state’s responsibility to ensure this freedom. Further, as scholars, we are extremely worried about the implications of these recent developments for our ability to study and write about different life ways, and to critically analyse society, including social phenomena like religion. SIGNED (in alphabetical order) Janaki Abraham, University of Delhi Anuja Agrawal, University of Delhi Yasmeen Arif, University of Delhi Mahuya Bandyopadhyay, University of Delhi Xonzoi Barbora, Tata Institute of Social Sciences- Guwahati Amita Baviskar, Institute of Economic Growth Pratiksha Baxi, Jawaharlal Nehru University Jyothsna Belliappa, Azim Premji University Anjali Bhatia, University of Delhi Reema Bhatia, University of Delhi Vasundhara Bhojvaid, University of Delhi Anuj Bhuwania, South Asian University Rita Brara, University of Delhi Anand Chakravarti, rtd. University of Delhi Roma Chatterji, University of Delhi Ruchi Chaturvedi, University of Cape Town Radhika Chopra, University of Delhi Dia Da Costa, University of Alberta Ajay Dandekar, Shiv Nadar University Ankur Datta, South Asian University Satish Deshpande, University of Delhi Vincent Ekka, Jawaharlal Nehru University Tanweer Fazal, Jamia Millia Islamia Shalini Grover, Institute of Economic Growth Radhika Gupta, Max Planck Institute, Göttingen Chandan Gowda, Azim Premji University Rajesh Kamble, University of Mumbai Sasheej Hegde, University of Hyderabad Rudolf C Heredia, Independent Researcher, Mumbai Farhana Ibrahim, Indian Institute of Technology – Delhi Surinder S. Jodhka, Jawaharlal Nehru University Kalpana Kannabiran, Centre for Social Development Ravinder Kaur, Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi Sakshi Khurana, V. V. Giri National Labour Institute Ravi Kumar, South Asian University Satendra Kumar, Lucknow C. Lakshmanan, Madras Institute of Development Studies Amman Madan, Azim Premji University T. N. Madan, Institute of Economic Growth Nissim Mannathukkaren, Jawaharlal Nehru University Nayanika Mathur, University of Cambridge Deepak Mehta, Shiv Nadar University Gayatri Menon, Azim Premji University Arima Misra, Azim Premji University Radhika Mongia, York University Geetha Nambissan, Jawaharlal Nehru University Balmurli Natarajan, William Paterson University Tiplut Nongbri, Jawaharlal Nehru University Rajni Palriwala, University of Delhi Amrita Pande, University of Cape Town Sujata Patel, University of Hyderabad Tulsi Patel, University of Delhi Shilpa Phadke, Tata Institute of Social Sciences- Mumbai Purendra Prasad, University of Hyderabad Meena Radhakrishna, formerly of Delhi University Ratheesh Raka Ray, University of California at Berkeley D. R. Sahu, University of Lucknow Savyasaachi, Jamia Millia Islamia Manisha Sethi, Jamia Millia Islamia Hira Singh, York University Alito Siquira, University of Goa G. Srinivas, Jawaharlal Nehru University Sanjay Srivastava, Institute of Economic Growth V. Sujatha, Jawaharlal Nehru University Nandini Sundar, University of Delhi Ravi Sundaram, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies Renny Thomas, University of Delhi Patricia Uberoi, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies Carol Upadhya, National Institute of Advanced Study Divya Vaid, Jawaharlal Nehru University Sudha Vasan, University of Delhi A. R. Vasavi, Bangalore Susan Visvanathan, Jawaharlal Nehru University Anurekha Chari Wagh, University of Pune Virginius Xaxa, Tata Institute of Social Sciences– Guwahati -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. 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