JNU students' union says discussion on Umar Khalid's book will go ahead despite venue cancellation

New Delhi: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) on Monday said a scheduled discussion on former JNU student Umar Khalid's book Fractured Communities: Adivasi Histories and the Politics of Power will go ahead despite the cancellation of the venue booking by the university administration.

The discussion, being organised to mark the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, was originally scheduled to be held at the School of Social Sciences-I (SSS-I) auditorium from 3 pm.

The university cancelled the booking, stating that the organisers had not disclosed the "full facts" about the programme.

The JNUSU criticised the decision as "arbitrary and authoritarian", maintaining that the cancellation of the venue would not prevent the discussion from taking place.

"However, let it be clear: cancelling a room does not cancel a conversation. No administrative order can suppress the right of students to think, question, and discuss," the students' union said in a statement.

The union said the discussion would instead be held at an alternate venue outside the SSS-II building. It also called on students, faculty members and staff to attend the event.

"Come in large numbers. Defend your right to know, to read, and to discuss," the JNUSU said.

According to the event poster, the discussion will feature professors Prabhu Mahapatra and Uma Chakravarti, writer and artist Shuddhabrata Sengupta, and social activists Harsh Mander and Banojyotsna.

The controversy comes after the university administration withdrew permission for the event, with the students' union insisting that the discussion would proceed despite the cancellation.